Onward
by pepperPOP
Summary: Three years after Ari Nightingale leaves Kanto for a sponsorship in Hoenn, she returns to estranged friend Jack Marcum for a whole new escapade in Sinnoh. But catching Pokémon isn't the only adventure. SEQUEL TO THE ELEMENTALIST
1. Prologue

**AN: ****To New Readers:**** This is the sequel to my story, The Elementalist. Please check it out before reading this. Even the prologue has spoilers for the end.**

**To Old Readers:**** Hi there. It's been a while. I hope you don't all hate me, and if you did, I would understand, because I've been kind of a cunt the last couple months. I hope you can forgive me, and I hope you'll enjoy the story. This takes place about three years and two months (roughly) after the end of The Elementalist. Updates will be slower, as school is going to drag me down a lot this year. Enjoy.**

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**Onward**

**pepperPOP (formerly known as The Sherberty Lemon)  
PG 13: for slightly graphic scenes, LANGUAGE, mature conversations, slight angst  
Prequel: The Elementalist**

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**Prologue**

August 23rd, 2010

_Jack_,

I hope this letter reaches you. Of course I trust Avi, but she's not properly trained, like Sky. I saw your win in the Indigo League on TV a few weeks ago. Champion of Kanto? I'm so proud of you! Storm and Azure looked incredible! Did you beat Giovanni the Snob? Well, I suppose you must have. Stupid question. Making an idiot of myself and I'm not even there. But how are you? Are you living with Gideon and Leah? How are they?

I checked league stats, and I saw Mariel's six badges. And has she fallen for Dan? Tell the truth. I'll assume Carly is long gone, and Emma must be leaving soon as well, right? Any gossip or stories of interest? Hoenn is beautiful, and it has such an amazing history. The Pokémon here are beautiful too. Last year I lived in this stunning town called Pacifidlog Town. It's built entirely on the water, with roped rafts as pathways! It's incredible. I left in January to start training again.

Anyway, I'm just sending this to let you know that I'm on my way home! I'll be taking a ferry to Johto and flying from there. I just wanted to know where you are, maybe I could stop by, I mean, if you wanted to see me. I really missed you while I was away. Aquatrix still misses Lunus, and so does Flicker. I missed you. Well, I already said that, but I do. So, just… Reply soon. My ferry leaves on the 1st.

Yours always,

_Ari_

--

"Hullo," a man murmured, shading his eyes and looking skyward. He stood on a lush, long field, clear of any trees. He was tall, handsome, broad-shouldered, with curious blue eyes and dark hair. He was shirtless in the summer sun, a bag slung over his shoulder, surrounded by bird Pokémon of all regions and species. A few pidgeys ranged under the watchful eye of the obvious queen of the flock, a grand and tall pigeot. A farfetch'd pecked at the earth while an amused looking murkrow teased a fearow tethered to a pole. Three delibirds chattered excitedly while gentle screeches were teased from the feathers of a preening skarmory. A mother swellow nudged a tailow under her wing while the father looked on. Two region-mates, a pair of wingulls, cawed lazily under the sun.

It seemed to Gideon Marcum, the man among the birds, that a chunk of cloud had split from the mass in the sky to float down to the ground. It landed in front of him. She was a curious cloud, with blue legs, a flurry of feathers for a tail, a long neck and an elegant, two-ribbon crest. A small leather bag hung from her claws and she handed it to him.

"For me?" Gideon inquired. The bird chirped and nodded quickly. He took the bag as he studied the cloud. "You're from Hoenn, aren't you," he murmured thoughtfully. "I've heard about you cloudy fellows," he remarked. The bird beamed and chirruped again. Gideon smiled, opening the pouch and removing the single envelope. He tore it open without a second glance.

_Jack_, it began. He blinked at the envelope, sighing at his own stupidity.

_Jack Marcum_

_Flock Ranch_

_Pallet Town – Route 1_

_Kanto_

He glanced in surprise at the return address.

_Ari Nightingale_

_Traveling – Southeast_

_Hoenn_

_Ari?_ He wondered, surprised. Without another thought, he read the letter. Smirking, he folded it back into the envelope and pulled a piece of paper and a pen from his bag, scribbling a new note. He popped a treat from the bag into the cloudy Pokémon's beak, and poured water in as well. He put the letter and note back into the pouch.

"Take this to Jack Marcum on Cinnabar Island," he directed firmly. The bird chirped in agreement and lifted into the sky.

--

Jack Marcum was busy hollowing out a giant cloyster shell on a deserted beach when the cloud floated down to him, holding her bag earnestly. He smiled and took it from her, running an intrigued finger over her cloud.

"Hello beautiful. Are you from Gideon?" he inquired. She shook her head and Jack pulled out his dex.

"Altaria, the humming Pokémon, Hoenn." read out the digitalized professor. "It looks like a fluffy cloud when it is in flight. It hums with its soprano voice." Jack nodded curiously, putting the dex away and removing the contents of the pouch and furrowed his brow at the open envelope. Then he saw the note.

_Jackie boy,_

_Opened it by accident. It's from your girlfriend._

_Gideon_

Jack sighed, shaking his head, but his heart was pounding. He slit the envelope with a trembling finger and read the letter.

--

August 28th, 2010

_Ari,_

I got your letter. Avi is beautiful, and very good at her job. She reminds me of you. That was terrible. So you're forgiven for your stupid question.

Thank you, I'm rather proud of them myself. I went back to Stone Town after I beat Giovanni and used my winnings to buy stones to evolve them. Champion's a cool title. It's about the only perk, to be frank. I'm good, taking a break after all that blasted work. I never lived with Gideon and Leah, I have a little hut/shack thing on Cinnabar's southern beach. They're okay, though. The wedding was nice and they have a little girl.

Yes, May is making a name for herself. And no, you were right. I saw them at the tournament. I still don't trust him though. Speaking of wins, Gideon emailed me the video of your master contest at Lilycove. It was amazing! Those three years have really done you good. Aquatrix was perfect, and I didn't believe that Stella could actually get much stronger. I'm really happy for you.

No, nothing interesting has happened. Saw a few people we met at the tournament, and yes, Carly's gone. She's beaten two gym leaders but only so she can raise them. She's more into exploring. Emma left two weeks ago. I took her to New Bark Town after the Indigo League and she left to travel Johto. Is Hoenn that great? You'll have to show me around. Why were you staying with a family?

Wow, are you really? I can't wait to see you again, and of course I want to! I missed you a lot, and Lunus has been pining too. I can't wait to see you. I'm keeping Avi overnight to rest, but she should reach you in time. Catch the Magnet Train instead of flying, and go from Goldenrod to Saffron, then take the ferry from Pallet to Cinnabar. I'll find you.

_Yours,_

_Jack_


	2. Mamma Mia

**AN: Ohai. Never expect updates this quick. Ever. But I finished a good chapter and I wanted to get to it soon, so I thought I'd go ahead. School starts in a week so… Update speed is debatable. We'll see.**

**And for the record, I know the prologue sucked. It was a scene setter. Hopefully this one will be better. Let me know.**

**--**

Mamma mia, here I go again  
My my, how can I resist you?  
Mamma mia, does it show again?  
My my, just how much I've missed you  
Yes, I've been brokenhearted  
Blue since the day we parted  
Why, why did I ever let you go?  
Mamma mia, now I really know,  
My my, I could never ever let you go.

**-Mamma Mia ; ABBA**

Friday, September 3rd, 2010

"Patience is a virtue," remarked the captain of _The Feather_, the Pallet-Cinnabar ferry. I gritted my teeth and sighed, scuffing my foot on the wooden deck. I had been fidgeting for the last ten minutes.

"So is minding your own business," I grumbled half-heartedly. The old man laughed, eyes on the approaching island city.

"What are you so excited for?" he wanted to know. I flicked each of my fingers against my thumb, an impatient tick I'd picked up from Dennis, Lange's man. But I didn't want to think about either of them.

"I'm going to see… Someone I haven't seen in a while." I answered slowly. How was I supposed to explain Jack? The captain nodded.

"Summer fling?" he asked knowingly. I blushed. It was surprisingly on-target, but not in the traditional sense.

"In a way," I replied. "Business took me far away," I explained, leaning against the railing and spreading myself into the sea breeze. He chuckled.

"Aren't you a little young to be doing business?" he inquired. I shrugged, drawing designs with my finger on the steel rail.

"Young is a relative term," I murmured listlessly. He shook his head.

"It's not been a good few years, has it," he observed. I sighed and stood, leaning against the rail and facing him.

"I'm not really sure what I'm doing here. Or who I am," I added. He studied me for a second, hands steady on the wheel.

"You're that contest prodigy, aren't you." he said. It wasn't even a question. I blew out a breath and nodded, looking away. "I read an article about you," he told me. "You were with Christopher Lange, right?" I nodded again. He shook his head. "I heard about last person he sponsored. She dropped after three months." He went on bracingly. I nodded glumly.

"She made the right choice," I whispered. Suddenly, a bell rang from the pier, and the helmsman rang an answering one. We were pulling into the dock.

"Things will work out," he assured me. I nodded, slightly disbelieving.

"Thanks," I muttered. I shouldered my bag, a khaki messenger bag I'd bought with part of my five-grand bonus from Lange. Along with that, I'd bought an almost entirely new wardrobe. Right now I wore a soft white cap-sleeved tunic-dress, which belted at the waist in a soft pink. It had a low-cut box neck, which showed a little bit of cleavage. Yes, believe it or not, Ari Nightingale had grown up. I had boobs and hips, and I'd grown into my body a little. My hair was shoulder-length, and I wore it with choppy side bangs. I wore black ballet flats, and a string of pearls dripped from my neck. Two large diamonds hung from my ears, and silver bangles jingled on my wrists. My seventeenth birthday present to myself, a big ruby cartilage piercing, glowed in my ear, and a smaller matching one hung from my old nose piercing. My lashes were elongated by mascara, and my eyes were rimmed in eyeliner.

During my last year in Hoenn, money had come pouring in from all directions. I advertised for contests, supplies and clothes. I entered private competitions with cash prizes. Lange began giving me monthly allowances, not to mention gifts. The jewelry had come from him. For contests, he had said, but he had let me keep them. I fingered the pearls- given to me for the Grand Festival- and looked onto the dock. After a moment, my breath caught.

Jack was there, waiting. He was sitting on a bench a little ways away, searching the boat, but he didn't seem to see me. I sucked in a breath and walked towards the helmsman, who was raising the little gate to the dock. I snuck through to the front and thanked the sailor, who smiled. I walked slowly down the gangplank, but my pace quickened until I was trotting down the dock. I walked towards the bench where Jack was sitting. I stopped, ten feet away from him and he glanced at me. His face didn't change, but then a mother and her three kids passed in front of me, and then two excited boys in front of Jack. When two old men had passed me, he was still staring at me, a kind of blank look on his face. But he stood up. I broke into a run and slammed into him, knocking him back into the bench.

He looked up at me, my hands gripping the back of the bench. Then he reached up, fisting his own hands in my hair, and kissed me. Hard. Then, suddenly, he jerked away, breathing fast, immediately switching his hands to my shoulders. I frowned.

"Shit, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that," he breathed quickly. Why on earth not? "How are you?" he asked awkwardly. Jack didn't do awkward. Had I tackled the wrong man? And man he was. Sixteen had become eighteen, almost nineteen, if I remembered. His broad, muscled shoulders pressed against his olive green t-shirt, and I could feel his thick thighs against me, where I was sitting. His hair had grown out to a kind of shaggy roughness, windblown and shoved by his fingers. It was redder than it had been three years ago, and he sported five o' clock shadow.

"I'm um, I'm okay," I answered slowly. I wasn't sure what was happening. The last time we'd been this awkward was during bouts of misguided teenage sexual tension. "How 'bout you?" I asked.

"I'm good," he said. There was a brief silence where we didn't make eye contact.

"I suppose I shouldn't be… you know," he muttered. He lifted his hands from my shoulders and gently pushed me off of him. _No!_ I thought worriedly. _I don't know! What shouldn't you be doing?_ I stood and brushed myself off. He stood as well and looked at the ground.

"Um, you want to come back to my place?" he asked, scratching the back of his neck. _And kiss you silly? Yes,_ I thought absently.

"Uh, sure I guess," I murmured in reply, not looking at him either. We were more like teenagers now than we had been when we were teenagers. I followed him over to a bike rack, where he unlocked the same bike he'd gotten from Cerulean City three years before. I glanced at him as he pulled it out and settled himself on it. He nodded at the handlebars and I gingerly sat on them. He stood slightly and began peddling, seeing over my shoulder as I tucked myself back into his chest.

The ride was terribly silent. It took twenty minutes to traverse the city- going from the far north to the southern beach. I was left to wonder what exactly Jack had- or hadn't- meant. Why shouldn't he have shoved his tongue into my mouth? I certainly wouldn't have minded.

I mean, it wasn't like I hadn't tried. Nor was it lack of opportunity. There were lots of decent boys in Hoenn to kick-start my emotions (or hormones, believe what you will,) but whenever I made an effort, I would just think about Jack. Not even Danny, the boy whose family I'd lived with for half a year in Pacifidlog.

It was at the end of that train of thought that I started getting paranoid.

Had Jack changed? Had he gone through a girlfriend or more? Was he with someone at the moment? Engaged? As Kanto's champion, he must have had girls falling for him left and right (not that they didn't anyway.)

Then my jaw dropped open.

Was he _gay?_

I wouldn't have minded if he was (better than having a girlfriend/fiancé), but it would have been a tough thing to go through- the only guy I'd ever kissed was attracted to men. What did that say about me?

And then I kind of remembered that Jack wasn't gay, or at least not to my knowledge. But why was he so tense? Even now, the back of my neck kind of resting on his shoulder, he was stiff and uncomfortable. His hands were white-knuckled on the handlebars.

"Jack," I whispered, concerned. At the same moment, a police siren wailed by, blowing my word to pieces. Sighing, I kept my mouth shut until we road onto the sand. Jack slowed to a halt on the lumpy sand and I obediently jumped off. I took off my shoes while he got off the bike and we walked together down the beach. We each looked at the ground. Finally, I looked up. We were trotting towards something that looked like a glorified gazebo. It was a little wooden cottage, sheltered by big trees that dripped little pink petals everywhere. It was hexagonal, and ringed by a porch that went the full way around. It was painted white, but was peeling a little. The shutters were light green, meant to match the leaves of the trees around it. Suddenly, Jack whistled. I jumped, but then a black blur rushed out of the house. I began to laugh as I dropped my bag and shoes and fell to the ground.

Lunus leapt into my arms and I hugged him tightly to my chest. "You little bugger!" I exclaimed happily as he assaulted my face with his tongue, licking me all over. I gently held him away, my hands under his front legs. He gave me his wolfish little umbreon grin and I kissed his nose, putting him down.

"I bet you miss your family, then, right kiddo?" I asked sympathetically. He cocked his head at me as I reached into my bag. I dared a quick glance at Jack, who was smiling a little. To his surprise, I pulled out three Pokéballs instead of two. I first let out Aquatrix. The two seemed surprised to each other, but then began to nose each other excitedly. My old vaporeon simply glowed in pleasure, and there was no mistaking Lunus' contentment. He even submitted to a thorough washing, which Jack and I laughed at. That broke the awkwardness a little. I stroked Lunus' ear.

"I bet you miss your son too," I offered. He mewed curiously and I gently released Flicker, a razor sharp jolteon. He halted for a second as Jack whistled in appreciation, but Lunus stood taller and prodded his son with his nose. Then Flicker barked happily and butted his head against Lunus', excited. Aquatrix smiled, while still keeping her distance from the electric Pokémon. They'd had some mishaps before.

"Hey Lunus," I murmured. He glanced up at me curiously. "Did you know you have another daughter?" I told him. He blinked.

"Aquatrix laid another egg?" Jack asked, surprised. I glanced up at him, brow furrowed. I'd told him about the egg in my letter. The two I'd tried to send.

"Yeah, she did. It was about two weeks after I got into Hoenn." I answered. I released the flareon, whose fur shone gold and crimson. She was my best appeal Pokémon, naturally gorgeous with an array of attacks, partly thanks to Lange. Jack sucked in a breath as the flareon eyed Lunus disdainfully.

"Blaze," I scolded. She sniffed haughtily and Jack and I both started, surprised, when Lunus calmly smacked her in the head, knocking her to the ground. She got up, growling and blazing as we began to laugh. Aquatrix blew a disdainful bubble at her daughter, who yipped in indignation. Aquatrix licked Blaze's cheek and nodded at Lunus.

"That's your dad," Jack told the annoyed flareon, who growled in irritation under her breath. I grinned.

"She's the prissy one," I informed Jack, who laughed. I recalled Blaze and Flicker as I stood, but didn't have the heart to separate Lunus and Aquatrix again.

"Where're Stella and Saffron?" he asked curiously, handing me my bag. I patted my Pokéball pocket.

"Stella's with me, but Saffron's at Vermillion's day care center," I answered.

"The day care center?" he repeated, confused. "Why?"

"I made a deal with a nice gentleman who has a ditto. We each get an eevee egg," I explained, cupping my elbows in my hands as we walked towards his house again, Lunus and Aquatrix frolicking around us. I wished Jack had welcomed me that warmly. I blushed, remembering the kiss. But I still didn't know what was going on.

"Why do you need another eevee?" he asked, thinking. I blew out a breath.

"Um, well…" I bit my lip and he looked at me. I noticed that he was carrying my shoes. "Eevee has more evolutions than this," I reminded him, gesturing to Aquatrix and Lunus, who were dashing into the wet sand and fleeing the low tide again. There was a long silence. I didn't know how to tell him my plans without flat out asking him. And I didn't want to look desperate. Even though I was. Really.

"And?" he prompted slowly. I sighed and looked out into the waves.

"I'm leaving for Sinnoh in a week." I muttered. Silence stretched between us and I bit my lip, clenching my hands.

"Are you going alone?" he finally asked, not looking at me. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye.

"That was the plan," I confessed, then cursed. '_Was_' was the key word. That _had been_ the plan. But it was an open invitation to him.

"Oh," he answered simply. I felt like crying.

"No, I mean that-" I began quickly. He held up a hand, not looking at me.

"Don't worry about it." He interrupted. I wanted to stomp my foot and throw a tantrum. Instead I reached into my bag and pulled out two tickets. I grabbed his arm and he looked at me. I was startled to see hurt and discomfort in his expression, but both disappeared quickly. He inspected the passes.

"Is this for…" he inquired hesitantly, finally meeting my eyes.

"If you want it," I answered shyly, looking down. We were quiet for a while, and I finally remembered to let go of his arm.

"I'd love to go with you," he assured me, letting an old Jack smile fall onto his lips. I tried not to let the relief that fled into body fill my face.

"I was hoping you'd say yes," I admitted. His eyes twinkled and I felt myself blush and my heart pound.

"I was hoping you'd ask," he teased. I grinned for the first time and we strode up to steps into the house. Jack whistled and Lunus and Aquatrix bounded past us and into the house. We smiled as Jack pushed the door open. He hung my bag on a rack and put my shoes on a little pedestal on the floor. He kicked off his sneakers and I wiped my sandy feet on the rough mat, looking around curiously. The whitewashed entrance led straight to a set of steep steps. To the right was a little parlor with pale lavender paint, with wicker furniture. The couches and chairs had thick green cushions and the table had a glass top. Big windows were wide open, and storm windows lay propped against a wall. A small TV sat on a table. To the left was a miniscule dark blue dining room with a plain wooden table and four wooden chairs.

Instead, he led me with a hand on my back to his kitchen. It was small, painted a soft sea green with a sand-colored shell pattern around it. It held only amenities- a microwave, toaster, dishwasher, oven, and a few cabinets. Counter top stretched to the far wall, which showed a backyard through a set of elegant French doors. I imagined living here with Jack, two sparkling rings on my finger. I quickly shoved the mental image away as Jack fell onto a stool.

"This is really nice," I remarked honestly. He shrugged.

"It works." He answered noncommittally. I smiled, turning to him.

"Pretty clean for a bachelor pad," I teased. He flushed, looking away and running a hand through his hair.

"I had someone in to clean," he muttered. I blushed, embarrassed.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

Talk about awkward silences.

"So what do you plan to do in the next week?" he asked finally. I shrugged and sat on the only other stool.

"I was thinking, maybe… Hang out here," I admitted, running a hand through my hair. "If that's cool with you," I added quickly. He shrugged.

"Sure, sure, it's fine," he said quickly. I couldn't decipher his expression. "My guest bedroom's pretty shit though," he warned standing up. _That's okay. I'll just sleep in your room._ I stood as well, blushing and shooing the thought away. He grabbed my bag for me and led me up the rickety stairs, which I eyed with distrust.

"Don't sweat it," I answered instead. We passed a closed door and he pushed open the next one. It held a simple four-poster bed, a mirror, and a chest of drawers. It was painted soft coral. I brushed a finger over the wall.

"Your house is so colorful," I murmured.

"The old woman who lived here before was avid designer," he explained. I nodded and turned to him.

"Thanks," I said, as he gently placed my bag on the bed. "For letting me stay here." I explained.

"Of course," he said simply, beckoning and heading out again. I sighed, following him.

"Jack…" I said softly, stopping in the doorway. I braced myself on the doorjamb and he turned to look at me quizzically.

"What's up?" he asked. I took a deep breath. I wasn't sure why I was so nervous.

"I um, I know it was a while ago, but… Just after I left, I sent you two letters, the second one about a week after the first." I told him. He blinked at me, nothing showing in his eyes.

"Did you?" he asked, surprised. Maybe there was nothing to show. "I didn't get them. How did you send them?" he wanted to know, leaning against the railing.

"I gave them to Dennis…" I stopped. My heart constricted and my face flushed with anger.

"Ari?" he murmured quietly. "Who's Dennis? What happened?" he asked gently, approaching me warily. My hand was white-knuckled on the wall. I felt like sobbing in some mixture of loathing and relief.

"You swear you never got the letters," I said carefully, holding in any and all emotions. He nodded.

"You know I would have written back," he admonished. I nodded slightly. He was standing next to me now, and he carefully peeled my fingers back from the wall. I looked at the floor.

"Dennis worked for Lange," I whispered. Jack stared at me before understanding, followed by anger, flickered in his expression.

"So he never mailed them." Jack answered. I nodded.

"Fuck Lange!" I yelled furiously, slamming the side of my fist into the wall. Jack jumped, and I yelped as impact flooded through my hand. Jack shook his head. I realized tears were coursing down my cheeks as I bit my lip and gripped my wrist.

"C'mere," Jack soothed, putting an arm around my waist. Holding my injured hand with care, he pulled me against him. Once pressed against the still-familiar warmth of Jack, I could have stopped crying. But I didn't, I just let it pour out, hiccupping and sobbing and sniffing in a way that probably couldn't have been less attractive. I was grateful that Jack did nothing, only held me gently and murmured calmly into my ear. It was at least ten minutes later that Jack gently pushed me away from him and yanked a tissue from the box on my bedside table, gently wiping snot and tears from my face. I felt like an utter wreck, and a five-year-old. I angrily swiped the back of my hand over my eyes.

"I'm sorry," I muttered, looking down. Jack tipped my chin up, looking at me sympathetically, caringly, lovi- no. Not quite there yet. Jack was such a sucker for misery, not that I had intended on my little breakdown.

"You had a really miserable time, didn't you," he observed. I sniffed and nodded, ducking away from his finger and his probing eyes.

"And- and I thought you hated me," I stuttered, unable to look at him.

"As if," Jack scoffed, the complete disbelief in his voice a comfort. "What happened?" he inquired gently. He sat me down on the guest bed- my bed- and knelt down so I had to meet his concerned gaze. I shook my head.

"Nothing," I sniffed. It was true, to an extent. No particular event had pushed me out this way.

"Ari," Jack murmured. It wasn't a whine, more of a demand. He put a hand on my knee and I shook my head, closing my eyes. I was really not ready to drudge up memories that were still lurking close enough to cause emotion. When I had put it behind me, I could talk about it. "Please, you can tell me," he encouraged me. I shook my head again.

"Later." I promised him. "Later." He watched me for a long silent moment, but finally (and in an unsatisfied way) nodded in consent. A bark made us both jump and we looked at Aquatrix and Lunus, who were both watching us in a concerned kind of way. For some reason, that made us both blush. Jack pulled his hands away and stood.

"Come on," he prompted. "Let's go eat dinner." I nodded and let him pull me to my feet. He remembered, to my unhappiness, to remove his hands from mine. I shuffled behind him as the two in-love Pokémon led the way down the steps and into the kitchen. I hoisted myself onto the counter and Jack and I shared wavering, unsure smiles.

"Are you sure?" he almost begged, gently pushing a lock of my hair behind my ear.

"Yeah. Thanks." I added quickly.

"No problem," he answered. He patted my knee once more and opened his refrigerator. He pulled out a foam box and showed it to me. I raised my eyebrows, ignoring the tight feeling around my eyes.

"Are you cool with leftovers?" he asked, almost embarrassed. I grinned at his abashed state. I hadn't had shit leftovers in at least a year. The family I'd stayed with in Pacifidlog was wealthy and had a full staff, and Lange had only neglected to give me fresh food when I'd fucked up. And that hadn't happened in a while.

"I would absolutely love leftovers," I answered Jack. His own eyebrows went up.

"I've never seen someone so excited for crap," he remarked. I smiled.

"I'm an excitable person," I answered him, already forgetting about my breakdown. I did that sometimes.

"Chinese or pizza?" he wanted to know. I bit my lip and cocked my head thoughtfully.

"Chinese," I decided, looking back at him. He started a little, eyes refocusing on mine. It was a tiny movement that I didn't even want to try to decipher. He nodded and poured the fried rice and some unidentifiable noodle dish into a plastic container and put it into the microwave. There was a silence between us, made tense only by the hum and impatience of the microwave. I looked down, Jack looked down, we looked back at each other.

"Do you promise that you're okay?" he asked, worry showing in his voice. I bit my lip.

"I am now," I answered. He studied me for half a second, then returned to the fridge. The tip of his ear showed behind the door, and a smile pulled at my lips. It was bright red.


	3. You Look Lost

Watchin' the telephone stare

**AN: Bit shorter, but still 3700 words. I'm trying to space out the updates so I'm not rushed into writing when I'm in the thick of things at school, because even on the second day I had two hours of homework. Blame my teachers.**

**The chapter's not that exciting, but put up with it. Things'll get interesting eventually, I promise. A lot of scene setting has to be done to cover three years of nothing. Feel free to flame and complain. Gives me something to mutter under my breath about and fret over while I write. In other news, enjoy.**

**Watchin' the telephone stare**

**It's silence reminds us of a time when we didn't care**

**I'd tell you about it but you were there**

**And if memories were money we'd be millionaires**

**Cause I'm still waking to the sound of bells**

**In between the time the skyline shines and darkness dwells**

**And you look lost, as far as I can tell**

**-You Look Lost ; Jesse Ruben**

"So why did you end up staying with that family in Pacifidlog?" Jack asked me, handing me a pair of cheap wooden chopsticks from a drawer. I took them and the leftovers, which turned out to be chicken lo mein. Handling the hot plastic gently, I peeled off the lid and dug in.

"My timing was such that at some point, Lange got tired of sponsoring me, but I still had six months before Hoenn's grand festival," I explained. "And I had to be somewhere." Jack blinked, having put three slices of pizza in the microwave.

"Why didn't you come home?" he wanted to know. I silenced a snort.

"I was still under his sponsorship," I replied. He stared at me. I sighed. "There was a contract," I went on, "That we signed before I got onto the boat in Vermillion," I went on, twirling the chopsticks listlessly through the lo mein. "I was under his legal protection until the Hoenn Grand Festival in two thousand and ten." Jack looked surprised.

"Lawyers and all?" he inquired. I nodded.

"Once I signed that contract, Lange became my legal guardian," I told him, failing to scoop up some fried rice with my chopsticks. I sucked a noodle down my throat instead. "A foster parent, if you will." He stared at me for a moment, face all disbelief. "Legally. Not even close to a parent." I conceded. Jack nodded.

"Did you trust him?" Jack wondered. I sighed.

"I don't know." I answered honestly. "At the time I was angry and emotional and a retarded fourteen year old," I explained. Jack raised his brows again, opening his mouth to disagree, but I shook my head. "It was a kind of torrential time for me," I said, the words pouring out of my mouth and leaving behind a bitter taste. I had used those words in an interview once. Jack nodded.

"Do you trust him now?" he wanted to know. I barked a laugh, and he looked startled and discomforted.

"It's a weird question," I answered. "I trust him, yes," I went on, looking down at my food. "He's intelligent, responsible and hard-working." I tried to meet Jack's eyes, but his look of disgust had my gaze in my noodles again. "But do I like him? No. Do I ever want to spend time with him again? No." I went on. Looking satisfied, Jack nodded.

"I know the last kid he sponsored dropped out of the contract," Jack ventured after the microwave beeped and broke our silence.

"Yeah." I replied noncommittally, struggling with my rice again.

"Do you know why?" he prompted. I made a face.

"It's hard to explain." I said. He didn't say anything as he grabbed a fork and dove into his own leftovers. I struggled with the fact that we weren't Jack and Ari anymore, biting my lip, trying to break the silence.

"So how come it took you three more years to win the league?" I wanted to know. He scratched the top of his head, blowing out a breath.

"I um… You know," he muttered, stirring his orange chicken absently, his jaw on his fist as he sat at the table.

"Not quite," I replied, a smile pulling at the corners of my lips. If he hadn't been Jack, he would have been blushing.

"I uh, lost track for about a year," I admitted. I raised my eyebrows.

"Which means what?" I probed. He shrugged.

"After you- I mean, I stopped trying for the title," he cut himself off quickly. I forced my smile away by shoving a lump of lo mein into my mouth. There was that tinge of red gracing his freckled cheeks.

"Why?" I asked. He couldn't stop himself from looking at me helplessly for a second, but he quickly settled his expression.

"I dunno. I wanted a break, I guess," he lied. I smiled.

"So how many Pokémon do you have?" I asked him. He glanced at me, startled at the quick subject change. Then he thought, ticking things off on his fingers.

"Twenty-seven, I believe," he finally said. I whistled, brows up.

"Busy man," I remarked. He smiled.

"I like diversity," he replied. I grinned. "Would you like to see them?" he wanted to know. I quirked a brow.

"Did you get your own PC system or something?" I inquired. He smiled.

"Not quite." He answered mysteriously. He stood and I followed suit, putting my food on the counter. He gently put a hand on my back and led me towards the French doors I had seen earlier. I took the chance to actually look at his backyard. Then my jaw dropped, and I noticed the satisfaction on his face from the corner of my eye. It was bigger than I could have imagined, stretching far into the woods that surrounded Jack's house. At the far end was a small pond, a spring, perhaps. Littering the yard were bowls of feed, and even doghouses of various sizes.

"There's a fence that borders the property, and I have the license to keep them here," he murmured into my ear.

"Wow," I whispered, pressing my fingers to the glass. He put a hand on the doorknob and glanced at me. I nodded eagerly and he opened the door, which led onto the same narrow porch that surrounded the entire bungalow. Jack led me down the steps and onto the grass. Unseen by us, Aquatrix and Lunus bounded out around our legs and dashed into the grass. Annoyed, a scyther raised its head and glared at the two eevee evolutions, who ignored it and dashed onwards towards the pond. A victreebel dropped curiously from a branch to look at me as Aquatrix and Lunus scampered under it. An irritated dugtrio- Earthquake, I remembered- appeared from the ground. A gorgeous dewgong raised her head from the pond to bark cheerfully at Jack before disappearing again. An electabuzz popped its head out from one of the larger houses to look quizzically at Jack, while a ditto echoed the exeggutor that had just faded out from the trees.

"Jack," I breathed. He was smiling, his hand a firm presence on my back. It had slipped from between my shoulders to the small of my back. He let out a piercing whistle and a cacophony of Pokémon noises sprung from his yard. They were everywhere now.

A hitmonlee faded in from the trees, three dodrio heads rose from the ground. A tiny clefairy peaked her head out from one of the little houses and mewed adorably, while a huge kingler shed water as it scuttled from the pond. A gengar faded into existence right before my eyes as a golbat dropped to hang upside down from a branch. From the biggest house came the head of a tauros, smelling the air. A crash sounded, just as a primeape fell from a tree, waving at Jack. A sandslash came from the ground, and a seadra showed its spiny head above the spring. There were even more that I couldn't see all at once. Then, I heard an almost familiar bark, and grinned as a huge red-orange shape barreled towards me.

"Storm!" I exclaimed, holding out my arms. Jack grabbed onto a thick leather collar before the huge arcanine could pin me to the ground. He laughed as I tried to wrap my arms around his neck, but was too small to do so. Storm licked my face excitedly, which was saying something, as his tongue was larger than my face. Finally, I pressed my nose to his snout as he panted happily. "I missed you, boy," I whispered to him. He whuffed happily. Jack jerked his head towards the clouds and I squealed in delight as Sky spiraled down to land beside Storm. I threw my arms around her neck and she preened my hair with her beak. I hid my tears in her feathers. Finally, I pulled away, and Sky chirped quietly at me. Jack looked hesitant as he carefully reached an arm around me and pulled me close. Thanking god that he still had a brain in his head, I leaned my cheek on his firm chest.

"We all missed you," he murmured. Guilt surged through me, and I pulled away, looking up at him.

"Jack, I'm sorry-" I began, but he shook his head, pulling his arm away. I sighed in barely concealed frustration. He turned me back to look at the assembled Pokémon.

"Everyone, this is Ari. She'll be staying with me for the next week," he told them. "She's a very good friend of mine, and we're going to be leaving for Sinnoh at the end of next week." There was a murmur of Pokémon noises as each conferred with his neighbor. I smiled as I noticed a huge poliwrath waving excitedly at me from the pond. "That's all!" he added with a wave. He looked at me.

"Would you mind if I let my Pokémon out?" I asked him carefully. "They've been cooped up since I left Sinnoh." He nodded.

"Of course." He answered. "I'll be here." He said. I nodded and walked back inside and strode up the stairs, passing Jack's room and pulling my sack of Pokéballs from my bag. As I returned to the hallway, I stopped for a moment, frowning. I sighed, not bothering with the moral mental argument, and opened the door. It was normal looking, painted a soft yellow. It held a large, queen-sized bed with white sheets, an antique dresser, a sturdy wooden desk and a rolling chair. A laptop was on the desk, and a tack board hung on the wall above it. My brow furrowed and I strode to the tack board. I bit my lip.

There was my beaming face advertising for _Appeal_, an expensive boutique that catered to coordinators. There were two interviews next to it, as well as the winning picture from the Hoenn Grand Festival. I made a face. I'd seen the picture, and my face in it was awful. It was somewhere between a smile and miserable anger. Some part of me had hoped that Jack would show. Then there was a shopping list, the license to keep his Pokémon in the backyard, the deed for the house, and the schedule for _The Feather_. I sighed and walked out quickly, shutting the door behind me. I made my way downstairs and outside, where Jack was sitting on a gently swinging bench I hadn't noticed. I decided to join him and sat on the edge of the bench, pulling out the first Pokéball.

"Stella," I said softly, pressing the release button. The espeon appeared, then mewed delicately. Jack smiled as she looked at him quizzically, then rubbed her cheek happily on the fist he had offered, purring. I smiled as well, then released Flicker, who barked happily and sat on his haunches, beating his tail against the wooden porch. Jack chuckled and rubbed his forehead, avoiding his spikes carefully. "Blaze," I murmured. The flareon appeared, ignored us both, and began to lick herself. Jack snorted and I grinned at him. "Avi," I said, for Jack's benefit, releasing my altaria, who cooed happily. Jack smiled.

"Good to see you too," he replied with a chuckle, stroking her neck. I glanced at Jack.

"Auri," I went on, releasing my last Pokémon. Jack stopped and stared at the unfamiliar addition to my team. The umbreon looked at me in confusion. She had been a small eevee, and was tiny for an umbreon.

"Auri, this is Jack," I said gently. She cocked her head and mewed at Jack. He still stared at her, dumbfounded.

"You um…" he began pointlessly.

"Yeah." I answered. Even I was surprised to have an umbreon of my own. As an eevee, Auri had been a gift from Lange, the daughter of his prize flareon.

"She's beautiful," he remarked, holding out a hand. She politely sniffed his fingers. I nodded, then looked at all of my Pokémon.

"You can go chill in the yard," I told them. "We'll be staying here for a little while." There was a flurry of movement. Stella approached Sky and the two reacquainted, while Flicker nuzzled Storm carefully. Avi, familiar with Jack's yard, simply floated into a tree and settled in to sleep. Blaze looked disdainfully at the yard and curled up on the porch. Auri hopped into my lap and I smiled. Jack stretched an arm out along the back of the bench, staring out into the back of his extensive yard. I carefully settled back into my seat, stroking Auri.

"So what are your plans for Sinnoh?" he asked me finally. I shrugged.

"Explore, adventure. Evolve a leafeon and a glaceon." I replied.

"Where are you going to get your last eevee?" he wondered. I shrugged.

"Maybe Aquatrix and Lunus will go at it again," I murmured listlessly. Jack shook his head, startled.

"I missed that," he remarked. I looked at him, eyebrows raised, and he smiled. "Your bluntness, your honesty." He supplied. I shrugged again, unsure of what to say.

"I mean, I wouldn't be surprised," I drawled. He laughed, and his fingers brushed against my shoulder. I resisted the urge to check and see if they were really there. "You?" I said suddenly. He raised his eyebrows, eyes still forward.

"God knows," he answered. "Catch some foreign types, I figure," he decided after a moment. "Explore, learn some." I nodded.

"No gym challenge?" I prompted. He sighed, shaking his head.

"I've been doing this for five years," he reminded me. I nodded. "I assume you're not in for any contests?" he drawled. I snorted.

"I'd rather eat my own fist," I grumbled. Jack laughed.

"Creative," Jack observed. I smiled.

"I spent most of those three years devising ways to torture Mr. Lange," I answered simply. He shook his head, smiling.

"I fear for him." Jack noted duly. I giggled.

"I can be devious when I want to," I agreed. Jack exhaled a laugh. We enjoyed a brief but easy silence. His palm was warm on my shoulder now, and Auri was fast asleep.

"What are your intentions for… Afterwards?" he wondered. I sighed.

"It's such an awkward question," I murmured, scratching my leg. "I've been asked it before, and it's so weird to answer." I thought for a long moment.

"And?" Jack finally said, impatient. I blew out a breath.

"I mean, look at me. I'm barely seventeen and a world renowned coordinator." Jack didn't say anything; there was no arrogance in my voice. Strange as it seemed, it was true, and I had come to terms with it. "Like, how much more do I have to accomplish?" He was quiet.

"Explore Johto and Shikoku and Tohoku?" he offered. "Catch more Pokémon? Complete the gym challenge in a region?" he continued. I looked down at Auri, then at Blaze, and Avi, sighing again.

"Right now it all seems hopeless," I answered instead. "I'm too tired to do it all again." He made a face.

"Then why are you going to Sinnoh?" he asked carefully. Shot down. I gnawed my lip.

"I um… I dunno. It feels like something that I just have to do," I said slowly. "I have my evolutions. But that's not the end. It's not complete." He nodded after a moment.

"Is that it?" he wanted to know. I turned to look at him, and we stared at each other for at least a minute and a half. I knew there was an answer he was looking for. I just had no clue what it was.

"Should there be something else?" I replied softly. He blew out a breath and looked down, retracting his arm.

"No." he lied. I cursed mentally, clenching my fist. I'd just failed his test. I paused. The old Ari would have probed and pushed to find out what he was doing. The new Ari… Well, the new Ari was too confused to do anything. I sighed as well, leaning my elbow on the armrest and my chin on my palm, staring into the yard.

"Did you ever read the tabloids about you?" he asked suddenly. I didn't look at him.

"Lange wouldn't let me," I answered absently. "Said they'd screw with my head." Jack scoffed. "Of course I bribed Dennis to give me copies," I went on calmly. I saw a smile out of the corner of my eye.

"That's the Ari I know," he murmured reminiscently. I shrugged, not knowing how to respond.

"Why do you ask?" I wanted to know. He shrugged, looking uncomfortable.

"That kid… The one you did the double contest with…" he trailed off, eyes on his yard. I turned and stared at him.

"Seth?" I said, surprised. Lange had paired me with his nephew, a good coordinator, for a double contest, where the battles were double battles and the appeals had to utilize both trainers' Pokémon. Jack nodded slightly. "What about him?" I asked, bewildered.

"_World_ said you had a fling." He muttered, naming a huge tabloid magazine. Disbelief flooded my face.

"Since when do you believe _World_?" I asked, shocked. "Since when do you READ_ World_?" I went on. He shrugged, looking irritated.

"It's a simple question," he ground out.

"Jack, I was fifteen. He was nineteen," I informed him. "Besides the ridiculous age difference, Seth was a huge jerk off," I continued dryly. "And his breath smelled." I added. Jack laughed, finally meeting my eyes. I couldn't help but smile back and blush. Something occurred to me and I felt my chest hurt, but I kept the smile up.

"And how 'bout you, Casanova?" I teased, shoving his shoulder gently. "You and Misty, eh?" I said with a wink, my heart tearing every second. The second tabloid that Dennis had given to me had caused the loss of a contest. The page mirroring the one about Seth and I had been dedicated to Cerulean's gym leader and her gorgeous new beau. He froze and looked guilty, and I clenched my fingers in Auri's fur.

"We um… Yeah." He muttered, scratching the back of his head. He couldn't look at me anymore. "It wasn't… More like… It's complicated," he finally said.

"Oh," I said softly, swallowing the lump in my throat. I knew _exactly_ what complicated meant. It meant Jack wasn't even close to mine anymore. It meant that I hadn't touched another boy in three years, while Jack and Misty were playing headboard to the wall. It meant that despite my hopes, a pre-teen crush meant jack shit.

"Look, Ari," he murmured, putting a hand on my shoulder. _It would be cliché to pull away looking hurt_, I thought sarcastically. I just ignored him. "Misty was… Not you. Not anywhere close to you." He assured me earnestly. I bit my lip, feeling my throat constrict. "She was just…" he struggled.

"An easy lay?" I suggested bitterly, angry that I _was_ so angry. It wasn't like Jack was mine.

"No, no!" he protested indignantly. "You know I'm not like that," he scolded. I shrugged noncommittally. "Ari," he complained. "Don't… Ah Jesus," he growled, shoving a hand through his shaggy red hair. By this time, Auri was beginning to get annoyed by my clenched hands. She jumped from my lap to curl up next to Blaze, who flicked her tail in annoyance. "Okay," he breathed. "Misty was a distraction. I missed you. A lot. I was traveling alone and it felt like I'd lost something." He admitted. I still didn't look at him. Part of me was angry he would use Misty like that, and part of me was touched that he had missed me that much. Most of me thought he was lying.

"Whatever." I muttered. "None of my business who you fuck."

"Ari, we- Jesus," he said angrily, standing up. "What's gotten into you?" he asked crossly, staring at me. I finally met his eyes.

"You, Jack," I answered, just as mad. I stood as well. "You act so irritated at the thought that I _might_ have been with Seth, and then behave like it's totally cool that you've been fucking Misty since I left," I accused. He stared at me.

"As fucking if!" he retorted. "I found Misty a month before the championship," he informed me. "And I thought you'd already shacked up with that dick-"

"You thought I was that much of a whore?" I shot back. "Thanks, I love you too," I hissed, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Don't you dare put words in my mouth," he ordered furiously. "I didn't say _anything_ like that!"

"You're so irritating!" I raged. I shoved him backwards, furious and helpless and miserable. He stumbled and caught his balance on the railing. Auri and Blaze fled the deck. "If you'd stop fucking around and told me what the hell was happening, maybe I'd know whatever the hell it is you _do_ think!" I yelled, startling some of the Pokémon.

"_I'm _fucking around?" Jack shouted, pushing me back. I felt like I was five again. "Get the fuck over yourself! What's that supposed to mean anyway?" he continued.

"It means you kiss me the second I walk off the boat and then apologize," I retorted. "It means you can't wait to start a new journey with me but meanwhile you only split from Misty when you found out I was coming home," I continued, sourcing the tabloids again. "It means that you're leaving me lost and confused and needing you and do nothing to fix it!" I confessed, fighting off tears. I would _not_ be emotional. I absolutely would not. He stared at me, shocked.

"Wait… You… I-" he began. I swallowed hard and crossed my arms over my chest.

"I want an answer Jack." I said firmly. "This isn't going to work until we get our heads out of our asses." He watched me for a moment, as if lost and deciding. My heart pounded, trying to break through my ribs. He swallowed.


	4. Tessellate

AN; So

**AN; So. Angst ahead. In general, maybe not so much in this chapter. As much as I don't want to write it… I am. Yeah. If you haven't gathered yet, this story isn't a lot like the Elementalist. There won't always be an even balance between "OMG JACK" and Pokémon battling and traveling and exploring. For maybe the first eight or nine chapters, it's going to be just about Ari and Jack and… Fucking up and fixing things, you know? If you're not interested in the least and would rather read about battles and travels, you should check back in about a month and a half (I'm trying to update every two weeks.) So… Yeah.**

**Cause dire times call for dire faces  
So lovely dancer, call and answer****  
Trade our places in the night  
We're running barefoot, you and I****  
Dead lovers salivate  
Broken hearts tessellate tonight.  
-Tessellate ; Tokyo Police Club**

His hand lifted, straightening to a 90 degrees angle at his elbow. It dropped back down – 64 degrees. It straightened out, 180 degrees from his shoulder. It wasn't like time was slowing down or anything. I was just processing everything and anything. He put his rough hand on my cheek. He blinked fast and often. He almost jerked forward, as if he had to force himself to do it. Shrunk back an inch and a half, then hurried forward to press his lips against mine. Maybe… Three seconds, tops?

I kissed him back seriously – this wasn't a teenage make out. This meant something. Can I sound any cornier? I held onto his wrist with my free hand and when he was sure I was okay with it, he curled his arm around my waist, pressing us together. It was damn good to be back.

He pulled away, but I didn't mind that much. He moved his from my cheek to the banister behind me, but kept the arm around me. For lack of better things to do with my hands, which may or may not have been shaking, I held onto his beltloops.

"I'm sorry about what I said," he added. I glanced up to his earnest face.

"Me too." I agreed. I heard his stomach growl quietly and I grinned. He blushed and hung his head, and I began to giggle. It turned to hilarious laughter as he watched in amusement until I was struggling to catch my breath and holding my side.

"You're so mean," he murmured, spinning me off his arm like a top so I twirled onto the deck. I giggled even more, still laughing as he pushed me inside to finish dinner.

"You haven't changed a bit," I informed him, wiping tears from my eyes. "Can't go ten minutes without food." He sneered at me.

"I have a healthy appetite, is all." He replied primly, sitting back in his seat. I giggled again and, to my happiness, he pulled me down onto his lap, picking up his pasta from around me.

"For an ogre," I murmured, my head back against his shoulder. I noticed for the first time the faint whiff of cologne about him. It smelled amazing, as sophisticated as I would have imagined any cologne of Jack's to be.

"Shut up," he murmured into my ear, tapping his fork reprovingly on my leg. I smiled and kissed his cheek. He kissed me back.

It was damn good to be back.

--

The next morning, I trudged sleepily out of my room to the bathroom, tying my hair up as I went. Auri trotted behind me. She usually followed me wherever it was I went. Jack's bathroom was tiny, with a cubicle shower, no bath, a toilet, a sink, and a smudged mirror. It was painted, however, a pretty light green with matching green and white tiles. I closed the toilet lid and Auri hopped up obediently as I ran the faucet. I washed my face quickly, turned off the water, and dried my face. The door opened and I jumped, holding the hand towel to my pounding heart.

"Ah!" Jack exclaimed, slamming the door shut. I gasped.

"You scared me shitless!" I shrieked. "Whatever happened to knocking?"

"Whatever happened to wearing clothes?" he called back, sounding almost flustered. I looked down at myself.

"Excuse me?" I replied, confused. I was wearing a… Okay, so maybe it had surprised him a little. I was wearing a low-cut blue spaghetti strap nightie that went to only mid-thigh. I wasn't used to sharing a bathroom with anyone.

"What the hell are you wearing?" he asked, cutting into my thoughts.

"It's called a teddy," I answered, prodding Auri onto the floor I walked to the door. Jack was standing in the hallway, only wearing a pair of mesh shorts. I crossed my arms self-consciously over my chest. "Lots of girls wear them," I added defensively. He stopped and looked at me. I saw the struggle to keep his eyes on my face, but he was successful.

"Do you actually wear that?" he asked, sounding slightly strangled. I looked at him.

"Jack, I sleep in it. Cinnabar's hot, have you noticed?" I said dryly.

"Yeah, but…" he looked away, then back.

"Do you not want me to wear it?" I asked finally, unsure. I wasn't sure what had him like this.

"Well it's… I mean… Do you wear that thing when you're traveling?" he inquired tentatively. I laughed.

"Of course not," I said with a smile. "I'd freeze to death. Penny bought it for me when I was living with her in Pacifidlog, and I didn't wear it again until I was in a hotel for the Grand Festival," I explained. I shrugged and flicked the hem a little bit. "I like wearing girly things sometimes," I murmured. He nodded slowly.

"So you're not… You know. Gonna be wearing it on the road?" he suggested. I blinked.

"Um, no, not if we're going up near Snowpoint City," I answered. "Why?" He shook his head.

"Er, no reason." I stared at him and he couldn't meet my eyes.

"Jack, a five year old could tell you were lying," I informed him. "What's up?" I asked, putting a hand on his arm. He shook his head, more to himself than me.

"Can I pee please?" he asked irritably. I sighed, knowing I wouldn't get a solid answer out of him.

"Whatever. Come on, Auri," I said, stepping past him and walking towards my room. I felt him watch me go. "What do you think he's on about?" I asked the umbreon as I stripped off my nightclothes. She stretched her front paws, her version of a shrug. I sighed, shaking my head. "I hope he gets used to it. Not like any of my other pajamas will be cool enough," I remarked. Auri leapt onto my bed and sat down, watching me as I folded my clothes neatly onto the antique dresser that was in my room. The Pokémon yipped and I glanced at her. She barked meaningfully and I rolled my eyes.

"It's not like he's never seen boobs before," I answered. Auri simply looked at me, and I glared back. "Look, it makes no difference that it's me," I scoffed. She began to lick her paw. "You know, when you respond, it means that we're communicating. That gives me every right to talk to a Pokémon," I said irritably, clipping on a strapless bra. I muttered angrily under my breath as I pulled on a strapless olive dress that knotted in the center and brushed out my hair. She followed me downstairs

I found Jack, dressed in a blue and white striped collared shirt and khakis, in the kitchen. He looked down slightly as I walked in.

"Cereal's in the cabinet," he muttered as I walked to the back doors and let Auri scamper into the light. I sighed internally and opened the aforementioned pantry. I made a face. Frosted Flakes, Coco Puffs, Honey Comb and Apple Jacks. Closing the door, I glanced into his fridge and frowned. Two cartons of milk, a twelve-pack and a half of Coke, two take out boxes and a few slices of pizza. The freezer revealed three frozen pizzas, a carton of chocolate ice cream, and four Lean Cuisines. I turned around, shaking my head.

"You are _such _a bachelor," I informed Jack dryly. He grinned.

"I was always shit at cooking," he agreed. I smiled and rolled my eyes, pulling out the Frosted Flakes and pouring myself a bowl.

"At least you're better than my mom," I murmured, finding a spoon and sitting on a short stool at the table. He raised his brows as he shoveled Coco Puffs into his mouth. "She's on this mad health craze. Dad says it's been going on for three years." I explained. He looked at me skeptically.

"Wait. Your mom. The one who cooks for a four star restaurant?" He said. I smiled and nodded. "Why? That seems so out of place." he remarked, confused. I shrugged.

"Probably because of Claire," I said with a shrug. I waited for him to ask me who she was. After a second, he started, surprised.

"Who's Claire?" he blurted out. I blinked.

"Claire's my little sister," I told him. He stared at me. "Mom got empty nest syndrome when I left for Hoenn and Sam said he wouldn't be back for a while, so she convinced dad to have another child," I explained. He shook his head.

"Wow," he murmured. "Do you… see her much?" he wanted to know. I shook my head.

"She's three now, and she doesn't really know who I am," I replied, scratching my arm. "She absolutely adores Sam though," I added. Jack looked at me in concern.

"Why didn't you stay when you got in from Hoenn?" he asked. "You could have acquainted yourselves." I shrugged and looked at my Frosted Flakes, slowly becoming soggy masses.

"I can't really stand my parents," I murmured. I looked up carefully. "And I was coming to find you." He swallowed hard.

"You shouldn't have-" he began.

"What's done is done," I answered with a shrug. I sighed, stirring my cereal uselessly. "Besides I had already bought our tickets."

"Why didn't you buy them for a later date?" he inquired. I blew out a breath, putting my spoon in my bowl with a clink.

"I didn't know about the baby until I got on the boat to leave Hoenn," I confessed, shoving a hand through my hair. He stared at me, dumbfounded. "Dennis handed me a bundle of letters and printed out emails and told me that Lange had ordered him to keep my mail away from me." Putting my chin in my hand, I sagged, not looking at Jack's ridiculously offended face.

"That's illegal!" he exclaimed, outraged.

"It's Lange," I answered listlessly.

"Can I kill him please?" he asked me, irritated. I snorted.

"You'd have a spot of trouble getting past Dennis," I informed him, thinking of the huge and intimidating man. Jack was strong, but Dennis was like a juggernaut. "Not to mention he's already got a new coordinator," I added, somewhat bitterly. While Lange _had_ spent three years training me, I had only been a pet project, and nothing more important.

"He doesn't know what he lost," Jack assured me, still sounding vexed. I shrugged.

"He lost money…" I murmured almost absently. Jack glanced at me shrewdly, and I winced. Mentioning it had been a mistake. "He got a cut of my profits." I explained. He looked angry. I swallowed, but was inwardly pleased that he was so defensive of me.

"How much?" he asked slowly. I shrugged.

"Thirty five percent of anything above two hundred dollars," I answered. "Twenty percent of anything below." Jack glowered at the wall, ignoring his milk-turned-chocolate-milk.

"Why did you stay?" he asked. He was staring intently at me. I shrugged.

"I wasn't going to pussy out," I answered, drawing patterns on the table with my finger.

"Ari, that's a terrible reason," he informed me. I sighed.

"I know. But I knew about his last coordinator. And I had made a decision." My shoulders rose and fell. "I wasn't going to come back a failure." Jack frowned and grabbed my chair, tugging me over to him. I blushed as he put his arm around me.

"Kiddo, no one would have thought you were a failure," he murmured soothingly. I bit my lip, looking down. "You stayed and did what you did, or you could have come home and found your own way." I didn't say anything. He tipped my chin up with a finger and I met his bright green eyes. He smiled a little and it was like three years hadn't passed at all. "You know which I would have preferred, but this is your life." I shook my head and put my cheek on his shoulder.

"Who knows, maybe the severe emotional scarring will end up coming in handy sometime later in my life," I muttered sarcastically. Jack chuckled, shaking his head.

"Talk about morbid," he murmured. We fell into a brief but okay silence. "So what do you want to do for the next week?" he finally asked. I shrugged.

"We should find a boarder," I murmured, thinking.

"Wait, for here?" Jack asked, surprised. I leaned back to raise my brows at him.

"Well yeah. You're not going to earn a whole lot of money on the road," I reminded him. He shrugged.

"I guess."

"If we could just relax, I think that'd be okay with me," I admitted.

"That's cool," Jack assured me, rubbing my shoulder up and down.

"We'll need to get supplies." I added thoughtfully.

"And trainers' passes for Sinnoh," Jack replied. I wrinkled my nose.

"God, is Sinnoh still doing that?" I asked in distaste. Trainer passes were akin to passports, but specified so that the holding trainer could apply for contests and the regional league. Most regions had stopped using them with the onset of the technology boom that had happened about thirty years previous, replaced by universal, computerized identification cards. Jack nodded.

"You know Sinnoh," he pointed out. I sighed.

"Geriatric bastards," I muttered. Jack chuckled. Sinnoh was well known for having a governmental council with no one under the age of 65.

"Don't worry," he murmured, patting my hip. I hadn't noticed his arm sliding down my back. "I'll register for them later."

"And in the mean time?" I asked, looking up at him. He smiled.

"Wanna go for a swim?" he asked. I grinned.

"I thought you'd never ask." He laughed and we stood up, picking up our bowls. Jack simply left his in the sink. I sighed, shaking my head, and washed it with mine, putting it in the seemingly unused dish rack. Boys. Jack was leaving his room when I was entering mine. I forced myself not to look at his body, but couldn't help seeing his ridiculously nice tan. I was still pale as hell, despite Lilycove and Pacifidlog.

"I'm gonna grab the water types," he told me. "I usually let them come into the ocean when I swim." He explained. I smiled.

"All of mine can come out. They don't wander," I informed him. He nodded, slung his towel over his shoulder, and trotted downstairs. My heart sped up a little as I hurried out of my dress and undergarments, wondering if I compared at all to Cerulean's boy-steeling gym leader. I made a face as I rummaged in my bag for my bikini.

"Fuck, I don't want to be _that_ girl," I complained to myself. I took a deep breath and found my bathing suit, hurriedly pulling on the bottom. "I will be a nice, civil girlfriend who doesn't care that her boyfriend did awful things with a stupid, slutty-" I stopped myself, rubbing my forehead. "Aw, Jesus," I grumbled. "Just don't think about it." I ordered myself firmly. I sighed, realizing I was talking to myself, and clipped my bikini top on. I pulled my hair into a sleek ponytail and tied the top of the halter. It was cute, black with shiny gold and copper plaid. The bottom had wooden rings on the hips instead of knots. I grabbed my towel and walked out of my room, trying to think of a good reason why I was freaking out.

"Chalk it up to insanity," I remarked to Auri, who was waiting for me at the foot of the stairs. She beat her tail against the floor, staring at me. I rolled my eyes in disgust. "Stop that. You understand perfectly what I say," I accused, pointing at her. She flicked her ears in a shrug. "God, why do I talk to you?" I asked grumpily. She looked smug and I glared at her as I got to the floor, tapping her rump with my foot. "Go on," I ordered. She trotted out of the open door, tail up. I saw Jack, as I stood on the porch, a ways down the beach, talking animatedly to his kingler, whose claw reached to Jack's head. I smiled. It looked like Jack was reprimanding the Pokémon, judging by the shameful look on the kingler's face. Finally, Jack patted his claw and gestured to the water. The cheerful kingler scuttled in and disappeared into the waves.

I smiled to myself as Jack shoved a hand through his hair, which glinted copper in the sunlight, and turned around. He saw me and smiled, trotting over. I wrapped my towel around myself and met him on the sand. He kissed me randomly, to my surprise, not that I was complaining or anything.

"He got over excited," Jack explained. I laughed and pulled away. "Yours are under the tree," he added, pointing to a large tree that stood farther away from Jack's house than the others. Blaze, Stella, Auri and Flicker were resting under it. I searched the sea until a smile grew on my lips. Aquatrix was playing with Lunus in the waves.

"They're inseparable," Jack agreed, standing next to me. "I let Aquatrix out and he leapt the fence to get to her. And she waited."

"Aww," I whispered. Jack laughed.

"Come on," he prompted, gently, almost hesitantly, patting my bum. I flushed lightly and slowly, self-consciously, peeled off my towel. I wasn't sure whether I was pleased or offended when Jack's eyes slipped straight down. He looked out to the ocean instead of meeting my eyes as I dropped my towel next to his.

"You look… Um… Wow," he began, looking at the sand, then at my face, then somewhere between my hips and neck. I smirked, and it must have been the cockiest smirk known to mankind.

"Yeah. I know." He looked at me startled, then grinned.

--

It was when Jack and I were trudging out of the water hours later that our week was decided for us. A carrier pidgeotto flapped out of the sky to hover next to me as I dripped onto the sand. My brow furrowed.

"Arabel Nightingale?" I asked. The bird nodded excitedly and I held out a hand, taking her bag from her and opening it. It was a compact rectangle, about four inches wide and two inches long. A video calling card. I frowned and opened it up. The screen flickered on, bright blue. Words spelled out on the screen.

State your name.

"Arabel Nightingale." I said. It blinked a few times before showing a bright green checkmark.

"From:" it said in a digital voice. "Sara Nightingale." It was my mother's voice and I groaned. Jack laughed and I elbowed him in the stomach. He 'oofed' and her face appeared on the screen.

"Hello dear!" she said cheerfully. I could hear my dad yelling in the background, probably doing something stupid. "Your father and I decided you should get to know your sister," she told me. I flinched. That couldn't be good. "And we decided to take a vacation! So you'll be looking after Claire!" she looked so happy, so pleased with herself. I was going to kill her.

"Don't worry though, I know you have to catch your boat to Sinnoh. Sam will be coming up on Thursday. I expect Jack will be coming to watch Claire too," she added with three exaggerated winks. Three. Not one, _three_. She was so dead. Jack laughed and put a hand on my shoulder. I pushed him off and he laughed again.

"Our ship leaves Monday at noon, so we'll expect you both-" she tried to waggle her eyebrows, and I hissed under my breath, fingers clenched. "Monday morning. Goodbye dear!" her face flashed away from the screen. Another screen appeared.

"Send Reply?" it asked.

"Yes." I growled. Jack had wrapped his arm around my waist, but I pushed him one last time. He sneered at me and went to collect the Pokémon.

"Recording!" the video card told me urgently. A green light went on and I saw my face on the screen.

"I can't believe you," I growled, snapping it shut. I put the card back in the pidgeotto's bag and let her perch on my arm. I snatched my towel from the sand and stalked inside. Once in the kitchen, dripping on the hardwood floor, I apologetically fed the bird a handful of Frosted Flakes. Jack joined me as I helped her lift into the air on the back porch. He gently turned me to him and I glared at him. He met my eyes, and I sighed, looking down.

"Sorry," I muttered, hoping I hadn't put him off me by pushing him away.

"It's okay," he murmured, taking my towel from my white-knuckled fist and wrapping it around me. He curled his arm around my body and walked me inside.

"Why are you so angry?" he asked me gently. I sighed.

"You don't want to know," I muttered, looking down. "It's just me being childish," I sighed. His hand trailed absently down my back.

"You've every right to be childish," he said softly, turning me so I looked at him. We were at the foot of the stairs. "I'm sure you've been too busy being a grown up these last three years to consider it," he remarked, trying to smile. I sighed and wrapped my arms around his body, leaning my cheek on his chest. He hugged me tightly. I liked being here. Or with Jack. I wasn't quite sure. I let out a sigh.

"C'mon," he soothed, gently prying me from him. I pouted up at him. He did a little bit of a double take. "Wow," he murmured, making me smile. "You're only allowed to do that once a day," he informed me. I laughed and we walked upstairs.

"So if we have to leave Monday morning," he began as he reached the place where we would split to our rooms.

"We should start getting ready," I deadpanned. He nodded apologetically.

"Meet here in twenty minutes?" he suggested. I nodded.

"Sorry about this," I said softly, looking down. He tipped my chin up. "You don't have to come if you don't want to," I added, hoping to god he would come. Jack shook his head.

"Of course I'm coming. Don't take this the wrong way, but what's the big deal?" he asked me. I studied him.

"I just… Gah," I sighed, scratching my forehead. "I don't know Claire, and I don't know little kids, at all. And after three years, I just wanted to spend this week relaxing and doing nothing and hanging out with…" I stopped, bright red. Jack grinned at me and I looked down.

"She's two, right?" Jack said. I nodded, still unable to look at him.

"She'll sleep a lot. You've nothing to worry about." I hung my head and he laughed. He headed to his room, patting my ass as he went by.

"Guess I'm going to have to get used to that," I remarked to Auri, who had just come up the stairs, as I walked into the bathroom. She nodded somberly and I turned on the shower.

**AN: Completely random note, the video calling card is meant to look something like a Nintendo DS Lite. That's what I thought of when I wrote it. Also, I'm going to see Tokyo Police Club next weekend!! Smell ya later kids.**


	5. Trusted

**It's funny I know**  
**But I'm disappointed in you  
****I thought you could read my mind****But I came home early  
And saw that a drawer'd been opened  
Looks like you've been reading my diary instead.  
-Trusted ; Ben Folds**

I wasn't in my bed. I was in a bed, but not my bed. It was hard to say what actually _was_ my bed, considering all the traveling I'd done, but the point was that I wasn't in my bed at Jack's house. I rubbed the back of my hand against my eyes and blinked, focusing them on the sunny yellow walls, split in between pale yellow and dusky caramel where the sun didn't shine on it. I looked absently towards the huge glass windows, where the sheer white curtains did nothing. But I was in Jack's room.

I looked down at myself, still dressed in Sunday's clothes, a blouse and short denim shorts. I sat up, sifting the soft linen sheets through my fingers, finally recalling the night before. After a day full of shopping and thinking and getting our trainer's passes, Jack and I had returned home and separated into our rooms. I had only survived a half hour on my own though, before finding Jack in his room, reading. After some awkwardness, I had curled up with him and read with him, not caring that he was halfway through his novel. I supposed I must have fallen asleep, and he had let me stay in his room. I sighed and stood from the bed, steadying my trembling legs. I padded over the wooden floor, pausing at Jack's mirror. My hair and clothes were badly mussed, but otherwise I looked okay. I had stopped wearing my mascara and eyeliner, the likelihood of being mobbed by paparazzi having lessened upon my stay in Cinnabar. I thrust a hand through my hair and pushed my bangs to the side before walking silently out of the room. My door was open, and Jack was sitting on my bed, bent over something. I watched him for a moment, unnoticed, before realizing what he was reading.

I gave a gentle cough and he started, looking up at me. He blushed just a little bit and I raised my eyebrows, a challenge.

"You know, you haven't mentioned me in here for _months,_" he told me in mock seriousness, smiling a little. Jack was about three quarters of the way through my diary. Searching the area around him with my eyes, I found the other two diaries I had kept throughout my months in Hoenn on the bed beside him. I couldn't believe him.

"Those are my diaries." I said plainly to him, meaningfully. He shrugged.

"Well, you wouldn't tell me." He pointed out. That got me angry. I didn't tell him for a reason. That is _not_ an excuse to read a girl's diary. Diaries. Those were filled with my emotional trauma and my breakdowns and my whining and complaining, my thoughts on Lange, Dennis, people, and especially boys. There were certainly things in there I did _not_ want Jack reading. Especially my time with Danny. Which he had certainly read. He glanced back at the book and I began to fume.

"You certainly seem to like this Danny kid though," he continued looking back at me, eyes daring, as if _I_ was the wrong one. I'd had enough.

"Really, Jack?" I asked coldly, irritated. The real anger would set in very, very soon. He blinked at me, mouth opening a little in surprise. I hauled my bag over my shoulder, already packed for our trip to Vermillion. Which would now be _my_ trip to Vermillion.

"Wait, Ari-" Jack finally began.

"Give me an excuse that's not bullshit." I said, meeting his green eyes. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. The diary on his lap fell to the floor. "Yeah. That's what I thought."

I walked out and stormed down the stairs, shoving my feet into my sandals. Suddenly furiously angry and on the verge of tears, I made my way into the kitchen and into the backyard, whistling. Auri arrived at my feet. My Pokémon, trained to the sound, looked up and I pulled my Pokéballs from my bag, returning them all, except for Avi. I climbed onto her fluffy exterior. She was surprisingly firm, but I had ridden her before.

"Come on," I muttered. "Vermillion." She chirped in concern and rose into the air. About halfway into the sky, Jack ran out of the house, still holding my diary. I ignored him.

"Ari please," he said loudly, pleadingly. Avi looked at me for confirmation.

"Keep flying," I said through clenched teeth. Looking concerned and letting out a distressed chirp, she continued to fly.

"Ari, I'm sorry!" he shouted. I ignored him as we rose into the clouds, Avi blending with the fluffy blooms. I nudged her to go faster, and by the time we were passing over Cinnabar, I was dripping tears into her cloud, sniffling quite heavily. Why would Jack read my diaries? And then pass it off as a _joke_? I wanted to blame myself for freaking out and over reacting, make it easier for me to go back to him, but honestly. Those were my _diaries_. Any girl that's ever had a diary knows that the reading of a diary by one not specifically allowed to read it is utter blasphemy. And every single person should know that a diary is private and not to be read. At all.

_To think that he even __would__ go into my bag looking for it_, I thought miserably, wishing I had something to cling to, simultaneously wondering what Jack was doing now. Finishing up the diary? It lasted until two days before I had left Hoenn, and I hadn't had a chance to buy a new one. Was he coming after me? Some unhappy, needy part of me hoped he was, while the indignant part hoped I would never see him again.

"How could _three days_ end so horribly?" I asked Avi rhetorically, wiping my eyes. "Maybe we shouldn't have gotten back together. Maybe I should have just gone home to mom and dad and Claire." I continued. Avi seemed to know I wasn't actually speaking to her. I sniffed again. I couldn't imagine going to Sinnoh without him.

"Aw fuck, I'm a wreck," I whispered as we passed over the sea and onto the land of Route 119. Avi chirped consolingly, and I sighed, rubbing my forehead.

"You know, on second thought, let's go to the breeding center. I'll bike from there to Vermillion." Avi cawed gently and I frowned. "I suppose your right. Did I throw out that watch Dennis gave me?" I asked her. She bobbed her head in a nod and I sighed. "Bugger. I miss Saffron." Avi chirped in agreement as we flew up the land. I managed to calm myself by staring at the changing terrain below us, but completely broke down again upon seeing the dock maze and Evolution Mountain.

"Fuck everything!" I cried, hating how angsty I sounded. So whiney and everything. But was it necessary for everything to remind me of him? Luckily, it wasn't long until we found Vermillion. I carefully guided Avi down to the Pokémon center, where I ran into the bathroom and changed into bright, plaid Bermuda shorts and a turquoise v-neck tee shirt. I hurried out and mounted my bike, heading for home. Five minutes had me opening the front gate.

Part of me was relieved to see home. Nothing had changed. It was still safe. There was no Jack here, just everything my childhood consisted of. I smiled slightly, kind of bitter sweet and kind of lopsided, but loving all the same. It was then that the door burst open.

"Ari!" my mother shrieked. "You're late!" she stopped short, brow furrowed at me. "And boyless. Where's Jack?" she asked, suspicious. I tried to hold back the sudden burst of tears that was threatening.

"Mom," I whispered. "I haven't seen you in three years." She stared at me as if uncomprehending, then dashed over to me and gathered me in a hug. We were the same height now, and I hugged her back tightly.

"Oh sweetheart, I'm so sorry," she whispered, rubbing my back. We pulled away and she kissed my forehead. She gave me a watery smile, and I saw that she was about to cry too. "You're absolutely beautiful," she murmured, smoothing my bangs from my forehead. I gave her a half smile and she cupped my jaw in her hand. "Did you get in a fight?" she asked me consolingly. I nodded unhappily and she embraced me again. I buried my face in her shoulder.

Okay. I didn't hate my mom _that_ much. And I hadn't seen her in years. The door creaked open. There was my dad, a baby on his hip. Claire. My sister, dressed in an adorable black and baby blue pinafore. I blinked as Mom and I separated. I was kind of startled by Claire, unknowing what to do. She stared right back at me. Mom gave my hand a squeeze and strode to my father, taking Claire from him. Dad opened his arms and I ran into them, hugging him tightly. I was crying by now, dripping onto my dad's shoulder. _These_ were parents.

"I missed you, daddy," I whispered. I hadn't called him daddy since I was six, but I did it then. I just wanted to be his little girl again. I didn't want to be Arabel Nightingale, prize-winning coordinator, unhappy ex-girlfriend.

"I missed you too, princess," he replied soothingly. He hadn't called me princess since I had called him daddy. It was nice to be back. Finally, we pulled away and gave each other awkward but loving smiles.

"Ari sweetheart, this is Claire," my mom said softly, holding Claire towards me. I smiled at the little girl, who stared at me with my own blue eyes, sucking her thumb.

"Hi Claire. I'm your big sister," I told her. She looked at me for a long time, and I felt like I was passing judgment call. Finally, her brow furrowed.

"Sam?" she wanted to know. I smiled.

"Sam's my brother. And your brother." I explained.

"Claire, this is your sister, Ari. She's Sam's twin," my mom said carefully. That had the little girl smiling. Mom's reports had been right. She truly loved Sam.

"Love Sam," she declared. I grinned.

"I love Sam too," I answered. I couldn't wait to see him in a few days, when he would come to look after Claire so Jack- so _I_ could take my cruise. I swallowed hard and pushed the thought from my mind.

"Hi!" Claire exclaimed, holding her arms towards me. I laughed and glanced at my mother, who nodded encouragingly. I had never held an infant before, but I guessed it wasn't too different from holding Pokémon. I copied my mother, holding her against my body with my arm around and under her.

"Claire, Mama and I are going away for a week. Ari and Sam will look after you." My dad told her gently. There was a tense silence before she burst into tears. I think both my maternal instinct and my mother's kicked in at the same time. I shh'd her and rocked her gently in my arm, brushing her dark chocolate hair away from her face.

"Sweetheart, everything will be okay," I cooed. "We'll play lots of games, and you'll get to see Sam soon!" I told her. Her sniffles slowed, but tears still poured from her eyes as my mother wiped them away with a handkerchief. I smiled at her. "D'you like Pokémon?" I asked, trying a new tactic. She looked at me shrewdly, all two years of her. I had to grin. She nodded.

"Mmhmm." She said.

"Well I have lots of Pokémon that I want to show you," I said, tapping my finger to her adorable snub nose. _Oh no. You do __not__ want children. You're seventeen!_ She giggled and grabbed for my finger, and we played a brief tug of war, laughing and giggling. I heard a cough and looked up, startled. My parents were smiling and holding their luggage. I laughed and hugged my mother one arm, kissing my father on the cheek.

"Everything you need to know is in the letter on the counter," my mom said, cupping my cheek in her hand. I smiled.

"Awesome. I won't let you down, I promise." I handed Claire off to our parents for goodbyes. In retrospect, I was looking forward to the responsibility. She seemed like an amiable girl, not very fussy- really, what two year old wouldn't cry about losing her parents? It was perfectly reasonable. And it was something entirely new. No Pokémon, no contests, no battling, no Lange. No Jack. Something I could do entirely on my own

"And you'll be good for Ari, right?" My dad asked Claire, putting his nose to hers. I smiled. Giggling, my sister reached up to grab my dad's admittedly slightly-larger-than-average nose. He honked at her and she giggled again. Absolutely precious. I realized my mother and I were wearing the same adoring smile.

"Yes papa," Claire said firmly. She accepted when my dad handed her off to me, and we stood on the porch, waving them off as they made their way to the car, which was parked in the street. When the car had driven away, I looked at Claire.

"You ready for some fun?" I asked her. She beamed widely at me. I resettled her on my hip and shouldered my bag, walking into the house. It was a blessing to be home. We walked into the kitchen, which was the same as always, and I settled her on the counter.

"Pop!" she demanded, before I could even pick up the letter. I raised an eyebrow at her and she clenched her tiny fist at me a few times. "Pop!" she exclaimed again.

"Hold on, sweetheart," I said. I glanced at the letter, which was actually three pages. I rolled my eyes, but was pleased to see that "pop" was bolded on the first page. It was a glossary, of sorts, how to interpret Claire-speak. I smiled.

"**Pop** – Popsicle. Claire can have two per day, any time after breakfast."

"What color?" I asked her, opening the freezer and pulling out the bright yellow box. She looked excited, kicking her little legs on the cabinets below her.

"Geen!" she exclaimed. I laughed and unwrapped a lime popsicle for her, washing off the ice around it and handing it to her. She immediately put it in her mouth, sucking contentedly on it.

"Let me read what mama wrote," I told her. She nodded and watched me attentively as I read the contents of the note. When I had finished, I had gained a wealth of information. I folded it up and stuck it in my back pocket just in case.

"So," I said to Claire, rubbing my hands together. I almost burst into laughter as I looked at her face, covered in sticky green slime. I wet a paper towel and waited until she finished the popsicle to clean up her face, which she took with a scowl. "Do you wanna see some cool Pokémon?" I asked her, taking the clean popsicle stick from her and tossing it in the garbage.

"YES!" she crowed, practically leaping into my arms. I laughed and we made our way into the backyard, which was the same as always. I breathed a sigh of relief and managed to remove my bag, and pull out my little sack of Pokéballs. I could see my mother's lapras, raising her head to me from the pond, and I beamed, but I had to look after Claire first. Who would she like? Then I smiled.

"Claire, this is Avi, she's an altaria," I said slowly to my sister, who stared at me intently.

"Altawia," she repeated firmly. I smiled.

"Exactly." I called out my flying type, and she trilled upon arrival. Claire gasped.

"Cloud!" she exclaimed, pointing at Avi. I laughed.

"Yes she is," I agreed, moving a little closer. Avi swiveled her neck before meeting Claire beak to nose. I was surprised to find that she wasn't the least bit afraid.

"I'm Claire," she told the bird Pokémon, who cooed happily. I laughed.

"Do you want to meet my umbreon?" I asked her, distracting her momentarily.

"Loon!" she crowed in response. I blinked, confused, but her excitement and smile were enough of an answer.

"This is Auri," I told her, kneeling down and releasing Auri to the grass.

"Loon!" Claire exclaimed again. Auri and I exchanged glances, but the umbreon did her duty and playfully licked Claire's cheek, which had the infant bursting into giggles, that made me feel kind of funny inside.

She was just so happy and carefree. I wasn't sure what I felt. Whether I myself was jealous of her, or whether I just wanted to have my own children or what. I pushed a hand through my hair and gently sat Claire on the little cement porch where she could sit with the curious Auri and Avi.

"I'm going to say hi to lapras, 'kay?" I told Claire. She gave me one of her heartwarming smiles.

"Lapwas!" she agreed, making me smile. I stood and walked quickly over to the pond, where my mother's old Pokémon raised her head to me. I promptly threw my arms around her neck, holding her tightly. She lowed softly into my ear, soothing me. I pulled away in tears, but smiling.

It said in the note my mother had left me that naptime was around two o' clock. By two, Claire was thoroughly wiped out, and all of my Pokémon were out of their balls. I found that I was exhausted as well, so I returned all of my Pokémon and put Claire on my hip. We washed our hands at the kitchen sink and I gave her some milk before carrying her into the living room. Mom had said that Claire could fall asleep anywhere, but she hated waking up a lone. I collapsed sideways on the couch and she promptly snuggled against chest. Smiling, I put my arm around her and turned on the television. I was asleep less than ten minutes later.

--

When my eyes cracked open, I found that Claire was still asleep. I rubbed my eyes as I realized I had woken to the doorbell ringing. I glanced at the clock. It was three. I yawned and stood. Claire only resettled herself in the crook of my arm, still mostly asleep. I turned off the TV and got up, cracking my back. Whoever was at the door started knocking.

"Just a second!" I called, rubbing my eyes again. I made my way to the front door, opening it with a smile. It fell away instantly. The okay factor of my morning was just lost, and I held Claire close to me. I was irritated, miserable, unforgiving, and absolutely furious. I glared into those apologetic green eyes and made to slam the door in his face. One word changed everything.

"JACK!"

Claire practically launched herself into Jack's hold from my arms. My jaw slackened, then dropped. _The little fucker._

"Claire!" he replied, laughing, holding her into the air. _He's going to make an amazing father_, some traitorous part of me thought. He hugged Claire tightly.

_I'm going to fucking kill you_. I mouthed to him. I turned on my heel and stormed into the house. It explained everything. Jack's pause in asking me about Claire. My mother's surprise at Jack's absence. My sister screaming 'loon' - Lunus - when I mentioned an umbreon. Standing at the foot of the stairs, I was torn. I wanted to storm into my room and cry and yell and scream at Jack, but I had to look after Claire. _Even though she's obviously just as well off with Jack_, part of me realized. I didn't want her to be, though. I wanted her to need me, and dislike Jack.

_What the fuck did he think he was doing, anyway, hanging out with my family?_ I thought. As I felt a little hand on my leg, I realized tears were pouring down my face. I looked down, hastily brushing them away, and scooped Claire into my hold.

"Hey sweetie, what's up?" I asked, voice cracking. She looked at me in too much concern for that two-year-old face.

"Why cry?" she asked me, wiping away my tears with her hand. I shook my head.

"I'm just being silly," I whispered to her. She shook her head.

"Cry isn't silly," she explained gently to me. I almost laughed. Almost.

"Jack did a very bad thing," I admitted. She looked aghast.

"Jack is not bad!" she replied adamantly. That had a fresh round of tears welling up in my blue eyes. "Jack love you," she told me meaningfully. I blinked at her.

"What?" I whispered.

"She wasn't supposed to say that," Jack mumbled. He was leaning against the doorframe leading from the kitchen, arms crossed over his chest. He looked doleful and earnest and shameful and apologetic, and I wanted to forgive him, but I couldn't.

"Why are you using my helpless baby sister against me?" I asked him loudly, disbelieving. He blinked and opened his mouth. "Why did you follow me?" I prompted, my anger and volume growing. "Why did you associate with my family _without me?_" I continued. "Why did you ever think you could read my diary and pass it off as a joke!" I shouted at him. He looked helpless, but Claire was crying and I was crying.

"You better be long fucking gone by the time I get back," I informed him, resettling Claire, sliding on my flip-flops and storming out of my house. I only made it down the street before I collapsed on the sidewalk and burst into more tears, feeling awful for scaring my sister. If I couldn't console myself, how could I ever console her? Luckily for me, help arrived in the form of beautiful, blond Willow Brown, best friend.

"Claire Bear?" asked that familiar voice. Both Claire and I looked up, sniffling. Willow stared at me, on her toes as she stood on her bike.

"_Ari?"_ she whispered, shocked. I gave her a trembling smile.

"Hi Willow," I whispered.

"Oh my god, Ari!" she breathed, immediately sitting down next to me. The bike clattered to the pavement. Long and elegant, she had her blond hair tied up in a ponytail, her bangs framing her face. She wore a cute green and white flowered sundress. "Sweetie, what's wrong?" she asked, wrapping an arm around me. "When did you get back?" She added. I sniffled and she pulled a pocket pack of tissues from the pocket of her dress. She handed one to me as she pulled Claire out of my lap and into hers, carefully mopping her face.

"How do you know Claire?" I croaked. Willow smiled at me, pushing my hair behind my ear.

"I've been babysitting her since your mother left the hospital," she replied softly. Claire quickly calmed in Willow's hold, and my guilt doubled.

"Oh," I replied, looking down.

"Honey, what happened?" she persisted gently. I sniffed again.

"You remember Jack, don't you?" I asked. Her eyes twinkled.

"Your gorgeous hunk of man? Of course I remember him," she teased, making me blush and smile in spite of myself. "And looking better still," she continued thoughtfully. My eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, tell me about that. When did he start visiting mom and dad?" I asked her. She blinked.

"What do you mean?" she replied, confused. I shook my head.

"Okay. I'll start from the beginning." I told her, taking a deep breath. She nodded encouragingly and gathered Claire into a more comfortable position, ready to listen. God had I missed her. "Did you ever notice how I never sent any mail to you when I was away?" I asked her. She nodded, not letting any emotion pass over her face. I rubbed my nose. "I would give my mail to Lange to post, but he never would," I explained. I choked out a laugh. "I must have sent the four of you endless letters." I told her as she gaped. "When nobody replied, I just started writing my diaries to you guys." I shrugged. "Well, Jack never got any of my letters either. I was let out of the contract the day after Hoenn's Grand Festival, and I tried one more time. Jack and I agreed to meet on Cinnabar."

"Where he's been living," Willow put in, nodding. Her attention was riveted. "What happened with you two?" she wanted to know. I scoffed unhappily.

"He thought I'd hooked up with one of my contest partners-"

"So he hooked up with Misty!" she exclaimed. "I could never get a straight answer from him on why he got with her," she mused. It felt like my ribs were collapsing in on my heart.

"Yeah." I whispered. "Anyhow, we ended up working things out, and got back together. Mom sent me a video card telling me that she and dad were going to take vacation, and I was to look after Claire until Sam got in from the Sevii Islands," I went on, voice stabilizing. "I woke up this morning and found Jack had read all of my diaries." Willow gasped, eyes widening.

"He didn't!" she hissed. I nodded.

"All three of them, which was my entire experience in Hoenn," I affirmed. She shook her head.

"That's awful," she murmured. I nodded again.

"He tried to pretend it didn't matter-" Willow made an indignant noise, to my pleasure- "and we got in a fight and I flew up here alone. Then he showed up at the house, and I flipped out because I wanted to know why the fuck he was associating with my family." I told her, slumping a little bit. In retrospect, I wasn't sure why I had made such a big deal about it.

"Honey, he wanted to make a good impression on your parents," she soothed, cupping my jaw in her hand. "A couple months ago, he was passing through Vermillion for training, and your parents saw him and invited him to stay at the house." Willow explained. I swallowed hard.

"And he came back every month or so, and he would look after Claire for your mother or do chores for your dad. He stayed a week or so in April and got to know Tori, Fiona, Kat and I," she told me. I blinked.

"Why?" I asked, startled. She smiled sadly.

"Love, he didn't want to lose you," she said gently. "He wanted to be able to welcome you back home with everyone else."

"Then why did he shack up with Misty?" I asked her.

"Probably because he heard the rumors about you and whatsisface," she replied. "It makes sense now. Once the tabloids showed up about you, he stopped coming." I put my face in my hands.

"This is fucking ridiculous," I muttered.

"Stop cursing in front of the baby," Willow scolded. I had to smile. "Where is he now?" she wanted to know. I shrugged, looking away.

"I left him at the house and told him to be gone by the time I got back." I admitted. Willow let out a sigh.

"Sweetie, you're not going to solve your problem by making him go away," she reminded me. I shrugged.

"I don't want to ever see him again." I answered firmly. I was sure my slumping posture, tear-filled eyes and miserable expression backed up my lie quiet well.

"You don't have much of a choice," my old friend told me frankly, rubbing my back.

"I can avoid him all I like, thanks," I muttered into my arms.

"I really wish you wouldn't," a voice said. I looked up at Jack and looked away. "Hi Willow. How are you?" he asked calmly.

"I'm good, thanks. Why don't I take Claire back home?" she suggested. My eyes jerked forward to plead with her as she stood and dusted off her bottom.

"Stay." I said. She shook her head, seated Claire on her bike, and walked off with it. "Traitor," I muttered. I was sitting with my knees up and my arms crossed on my knees, face buried in my arms.

"Can I sit?" Jack asked.

"No." I answered petulantly. He sat down next to me anyway, and I made to get up. He caught me by one of my belt loops and pulled me back down. "Ow!" I exclaimed.

"Let me talk. Please." He said, looking straight at me. I stared down the street ahead.

"No." But I didn't get up and leave. He took a deep breath.

**Late, but 4800 words. Fighting and angst and oh my.**

**I hate to be one of those authors, but can I get a review every now and then? It would be nice to know all my hits aren't mistakes.**

**Love,**

**Pepper**


	6. Do Me a Favour

**You guys are really effing sweet. Thanks for the love.  
Sorry this is so long in coming. Last of the angst, I promise.**

"**And do me a favour and ask if you need some help,"****  
She said, "Do me a favour and stop flattering yourself!"  
****To tear apart the ties that bind, perhaps fuck off might be too kind  
Perhaps fuck off might be too kind. **

"What do you intend to say to me?" I asked Jack irritably, cutting him off before he could even start. "Do you think there's a legitimate excuse I'll take for reading my diaries and hanging out with my family and then coming here after me?" I continued angrily, my arms wrapped around my knees. I didn't feel like crying anymore, to my intense relief. I just wanted to be angry. He opened his mouth again.

"Do you think I'm going to forgive you?" I probed, not looking at him. He let out a breath. "Do you think I'll ever trust you? Do you think I won't buy a diary with a lock this time?" I wanted to know. "Those diaries were everything that was in my head, and no one's fucking allowed to be in my head but _me_." I told him. "No one." He tried again.

"And why on god's green earth would you ever, _ever_ assume you could turn it into a joke?" I asked furiously, finally turning to him. He shrunk and couldn't meet my eyes. I stared at him, forcing him to keep his eyes on the asphalt.

"I made a mistake," he mumbled, looking for all the world like an apologetic puppy. I wouldn't have it.

"Damn right you did," I agreed sharply. He held in the sigh he would have let out.

"I shouldn't have read them, but they were there, and I needed to know why you were so upset." He gave me an earnest, caring, doleful look and for a heartbeat I appreciated it.

"Keep your head down," I growled. He sighed and looked at the curb. "Jack, I told you." I said. "Didn't I _promise_ that I would tell you later? I don't want to talk about it because it's still around!" I exclaimed. "It's still in my head nagging at me and whenever I berate myself, it's Lange's voice! I don't want to think about the last three years, and you can't ask me to." I explained quietly. Jack kicked a rock and we watched it skitter across the street, only to stop and disappear under the wheels of a passing car.

"But… It seemed like you needed help," he muttered. "I wanted to help you get over it."

"I'm not a project, Jack," I said harshly. "I'm not some fucked up post-traumatic stress syndrome angsty teenager. I'm just Ari who went through some issues, and is coming out just fine because it's going to be in the past." I continued.

"But-"

"Don't question me, Jack. You're the last person on earth who can question me right now." I interrupted. He let out a sigh.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry." He said. I looked away.

"It's not worth much." I muttered. He nodded.

"I deserved that."

"And a lot more."

"Ari-"

"I can be as mean to you as I damn well want, Jack."

There was a brief silence.

"Ari, I followed you up her because I um, I l-"

"Don't you dare say you love me, Jack Marcum. You're eighteen."

"Well, it's pretty damn close, god knows why," he growled. "You're finicky and mysterious and protective and rash and irritating and I can't help but still like you, and you're really not making it easy to do!" he exclaimed.

"Well, you know," I began crossly, but I hadn't even come up with a reply. _Always jumping the gun._ I shook my head instead. We were quiet for a moment.

"Why is it so bad I visited your family?" Jack asked cautiously.

"Because," I began. I trailed off, finally biting my lip. "Because I couldn't," I whispered. It was the first time I'd understood it too. "Because I wasn't allowed to even write them and you could see them any fucking time you pleased," I continued. _I better not cry again_. "Because my sister loved you before I even knew she existed." I mumbled putting my face against my knees again. Jack hesitated and wrapped his arm around me, scooting closer. I submitted.

"I'm sorry," he murmured into my ear. I leaned into him for a second before pulling away and looking at him. He really was sorry and I bit my lip. He made to kiss me and was mere millimeters from my lips when I put my hand on his mouth and pushed him away.

"Just because I'm not angry doesn't mean I've forgiven you," I told him frankly. I actually just wanted him to squirm. He squirmed.

"Can we be together again?" he asked hopefully. I took my time on an answer I already had, tapping my chin thoughtfully and looking at the sky. He fidgeted. I stood.

"Maybe," I said, smiling evilly. He stared up at me in horror and I strode off towards home. I was a few steps down my street when Jack caught up to me, skidding in front of me and putting his arms around me. I tried to push away, but he wouldn't let me.

"Tell me you're fucking with my head," he pleaded. I smiled.

"You're a smart boy," I assured him, breaking from his hold and walking towards my house as he grumbled in irritation. "Figure it out for yourself."

-----

"You're on Claire duty tonight," I told Jack, handing the surprised boy my sister, who giggled. "I'm going out."

"What?" he said, startled. He was sitting at the kitchen table reading his book, and I was dressed to kill in a slinky black dress and stilettos, both bought for the original purpose of dinner parties with Hoenn's elite(ist) coordinators. He stared at me for half a second before blinking. "Wait, hold on. Are we married or something?" he asked indignantly. I smirked.

"You wish. I'm going out with the girls. Look after Claire and I'll be home before midnight," I told him, kissing his cheek. He stood up, arms around my sister.

"Is it just you and the girls?" he asked suspiciously, eyes narrowing. I couldn't hold my smile back as Claire ruined the moment by grabbing onto his face and pulling his cheek. Jack couldn't keep up his expression either, giving a lopsided and small smile.

"We'll be seeing boys. But I wouldn't do anything to hurt you," I said, turning it into a stab by raising my brows. He looked down, punished.

"Sounds good," he mumbled, sitting down again.

"There's leftover gazpacho in the fridge, which she loves." I told him. He blinked up at me. "You don't even have to heat it up," I assured him. He furrowed his brow.

"Why is your mother feeding a two year old gazpacho?" he asked, startled. I smiled.

"Because she's Sara Nightingale." I replied. He smiled.

"A good enough reason," he agreed. I leant down and kissed him softly before pulling away.

"Don't wait up," I told him, heading for the front door.

"Ari," he said. I looked back. He blushed a little. "You um, you look really good," he told me. I smiled and walked out of the house, shutting the door behind me. Willow was waiting for me on the street in a mini-skirt, adorable yellow blouse and white ballet flats. She whistled.

"You clean up well," she remarked. I was perfect in my heels (Lange had forced me to learn to battle in them), my hair was neat and I had stolen some of my mom's make up. I was wearing my pearl necklace and diamonds everywhere but my cartilage and my nose, as well as a few rings and some nice bracelets. My dress was low cut enough to be sexy but not too low cut to be slutty, and reached my knees. My stilettos were an inch and a half high and black. I smirked and shoved her. "Where's your boy?" she laughed, pushing me back. I cocked an eyebrow.

"Looking after Claire," I reminded her. Willow furrowed her brow.

"You could have brought him," she said. "There's this girl that lives down the street from Fi that baby-sits for us whenever we all go out," she told me. I shrugged.

"Sounds like a good set up, but I'd rather leave Jack at home tonight," I told her with a shrug as we walked down my street. Willow frowned sympathetically.

"I thought you had worked everything out…?" she said, mostly a question. When Jack and I had reached home, we'd made Jack feed Claire and disappeared for some direly needed girl talk. I shrugged.

"We did. But I'm not letting him off the hook for reading my diary," I explained. She nodded.

"Don't hold out too long," she advised. "He'll lose interest." We stopped at a red light and I hugged her tightly.

"Thanks. But if he held on for three years, I don't think three days would make a difference," I said with a smile. She laughed.

"Girl, you have _no_ idea how lucky you are," she remarked, squeezing my hand as we crossed the street. I smiled a little.

"Yeah. Probably not."

We were silent for a good ten minutes as we walked into the city district, which held all of the clubs, restaurants, bars and shopping. My mom sometimes biked to work.

"So where are we going?" I asked Willow as we passed a neon-lit club, the sidewalk reverberating under our feet.

"This new club that opened in the beginning of the summer," she told me. "It's seventeen and up, but you have to show ID to get drinks," she explained. I nodded. "It's great. Kat found it and we go at least once a week."

"Sweet. Who's coming tonight?" I asked. She chewed the inside of her lip, careful not to disturb her cherry red lipstick.

"You, me, Kat, Fi, Tori," she started.

"When did Fiona start going by Fi?" I wondered curiously. Willow smiled.

"Her boyfriend used it." She told me. I gasped.

"Shit, really? Anyone I know?" I asked. She laughed. Fiona had always been the quiet, reserved one.

"A Mr. Paolo Fontaine, of Mauville City in Hoenn," Willow replied. I gasped, stopping short on the street and staring at Willow, who raised an eyebrow. "Someone you _do_ know, it seems." She observed.

"Holy shit, Paolo Fontaine?" I asked. "He's the last person to ever beat me in a contest! The fucker's a world renowned coordinator!" I exclaimed. Not because he had beaten me, but because he was just that damn good. I understood now why he hadn't made it to the Grand Festival (he had already won twice anyway.) Willow laughed.

"Try not to challenge him. He'll be there tonight." She said, putting a hand on my arm. I laughed.

"As if, he's so sweet!" I exclaimed. Willow smiled. "He tried to flirt with me but Lange was furious and dragged me off to practice," I said with a laugh. "God, I'm so happy for her," I said excitedly.

"Kat's not with anyone, but she's got a gentleman friend she's been spending a lot of time with," Willow told me. I raised my eyebrows as we continued to walk.

"Ooh, do tell," I said, curious. She laughed.

"I would, but she won't say anything to us. We're actually meeting him tonight," she said. I nodded.

"And Tori?" I wondered. Willow shook her head.

"Tori came out of the closet in January. And you know Vermillion's conservative," she told me. I blinked. It was something to process. But it was true: Vermillion had a large constitution of beach-dwelling elderly, who frowned upon the gay and lesbian lifestyle. Gays had rights, of course, the struggle for the right to marry had ended when my mother had been a teenager, but my generation was really the first to take being homosexual with a grain of salt.

"Has she been to Celadon?" I wanted to know. Celadon was infamous for its homosexual contingency, most of who lived on the celebrated and colorful SoWe district, SoWe for southwest. Willow nodded.

"We took her up for her seventeenth birthday," she answered. I sighed.

"The worst part about the whole sponsorship thing was that I missed so much," I groused. She squeezed my hand again.

"But you know we'd never hold it against you and we still love you," she said firmly. I smiled sidelong at her. "And as long as you're back for the eighteenth birthdays, it's all right," she added, grinning. I laughed.

"Well isn't your grandmother throwing you a huge bash?" I asked. Willow had been talking about it even when she was thirteen. She laughed and twirled in a circle, grabbing my hand again.

"Yes, yes she is," she sang. Willow's family was very wealthy. "We've booked a ballroom in the city, and we're going to book all the rooms on one of the floors for the guests!" she squealed. I laughed and screamed in excitement with her.

"Oh my god, you spoiled little princess," I teased. She let out a laugh.

"I know! But it's definitely paying off," she replied. I giggled.

"You're so lucky," I said wistfully. She pushed me playfully.

"Oh don't think I'm going to have a better eighteenth than you," she scoffed. I raised an eyebrow. "We both know what's going to happen on the fateful, late June evening," she murmured deeply, smiling mysteriously as we paused on the street.

"I'm confused," I told her. She let out an exasperated sigh, throwing her waving arms to her sides.

"You idiot!" she said. "You and Jack are gonna, you know," she told me with a wink and a huge grin, bumping my hip with hers. I stared at her, dumbfounded. She let out a laugh, and rested her arms on my shoulders, giving me a saucy look.

"Unless you're going to break the law for your one true love and make it _his_ birthday present, hmm?" she continued playfully, tugging a lock of my hair. My jaw slackened.

"What-" I began in a whisper, bright red.

"Oh don't tell me you can't see it, you can't still be _that_ naïve," she teased with a laugh. Willow had always been more street smart than the rest of us, a little older for her age. She'd been the first to wear a low cut top, the first to flirt, the first to get a kiss. "Every look he gives you, you can see," she whispered, warm breath curling over my nose as she pressed her face close to mine, our lips only millimeters away. This was Willow being 'playful'. Apparently Willow's play had become a little more mature in my absence.

"He's ready to _jump_ your bones!" she shrieked, laughing, jerking me, and making stumble backwards and yelp. When she took my hand again, smiling apologetically, she smoothed my bangs from my forehead.

"You can't honestly _not_ be thinking about it," she murmured. I shrugged, staring at the pavement as we began to walk again. "I mean, you're seventeen and gorgeous and you have a fantastic boyfriend who waited three years for you," she reminded me. I sighed.

"Do you mean am I thinking about getting with him or am I considering the fact that it may happen in the near future?" I asked her. She blinked at me.

"What, it's not both?" she asked, startled. I met her gaze, unknowing. "Honey, any girl in your position would be _dreaming_ of losing it to the handsome Mr. Jack Marcum, champion of Kanto," she reminded me frankly. I made a face. "Hell, most girls in general. I'd love to have a piece of him." She mused. I gave her a helpless look and she laughed. "Oh, kiddo, don't take it personally. He's gorgeous, and you're going to have to defend your title," she informed me honestly. I chewed my lip.

"I don't want to think about it," I admitted with a sigh. "I've heard all the stories about girls who are too protective and they lose their boyfriends. I've heard about girls who try to cover everything up and pretend the cheating isn't happening," I went on. Willow stopped me.

"Baby, Jack isn't going to cheat on you," she told me firmly. "He may have read your diary, but he's not going to make an_other_ mistake and lose you," she consoled me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. I nodded.

"I suppose not…" I conceded slowly.

"So do you think you're going to give it up to him?" she wanted to know. I glanced at her.

"I um… I couldn't say," I mumbled demurely, looking at the ground and blushing again. She shook her head.

"Honey, I'm your _girlfriend._ This is what I'm here for," she cajoled.

"I've only been with him for like three days," I pointed out.

"Yeah," she breathed into my ear, making me shiver. I wished she would stop doing that. "But how long have you been _wishing _for him?" she asked me, still creepily against me. "How many nights did you lie in your sleeping bag wishing you had him to shove your tongue down his throat?" she continued, laughing. I smiled and nudged her away.

"I think of it more in terms of hooking up. I don't like my thoughts so graphic," I scolded. She laughed.

"You just keep pretending. You know it's not only boys who get wet dreams?" she teased, skipping away from me and leaving me frozen to the pavement, mouth open. She laughed and threw open a door. I was almost physically moved by the blast of music that exploded through the opening.

"We're here!" she declared, grabbing my arm and yanking me into the club.

-----

I made my way silently into the house three hours later, just in time to make my twelve o' clock promise to Jack. The air conditioning was a refreshing blast after a sweaty club and a shared cab with the girls (and Paolo, who had been delighted to see me.) Jack had left most of the lights on, so I kept searching until I found him in the living room. I couldn't help but smile sadly. He had passed out on the couch with the 24-hour children's show channel playing. Claire was peacefully asleep on top of him. Curled up, her hands fisted in his tee shirt, her feet were still almost six inches from his belt. His hand was protectively splayed on her back, the other behind his head.

I leaned down to slip off my pumps, sighing at the slight blister I'd gotten on my right heel. I tip toed to the front door and put my heels on the floor before returning to Jack. I smiled once more before gently removing my sister from his grip. I watched sadly as she held onto his shirt, even as she slept. When she was safely in my hold, she turned her grip to my dress instead. Jack's hand moved a bit on his chest, as if searching for his charge. His face twisted a little bit, showing an unhappy expression. Smiling to myself, I quietly carried Claire upstairs and tucked her into her crib, which had been moved to my old room. She didn't like waking up without someone else in the room. When she was out cold and tucked in, the door opened. I looked up and Jack rubbed his eyes, checking first the baby, then me. He gave me a weary smile.

"Sorry," he mumbled, voice still slurred from sleep. I smiled back.

"No worries," I whispered, putting my purse on my bed and gently nudging him from the room. "I thought you'd sleep better without her, but I guess I was wrong," I teased softly, closing the door behind us. He blushed.

"How was your night?" he asked. I shrugged.

"Uneventful. Met the girls and their significant others, and some of Sam's old friends," I said. He nodded.

"What did you do all dressed up?" he asked, touching the cloth of my dress with only a finger before drawing away.

"A seventeen and up club," I replied, almost a confession. He paused for a second.

"Did you… Drink?" he inquired tentatively. I shook my head.

"They card. And I don't. Won't." I added. He nodded and we fell into a short silence.

"Everything go all right here?" I wanted to know. He nodded.

"She loved the gazpacho, like you said," he answered with a smile. I nodded, smiling back. "I liked it too," he added. I furrowed my brow.

"There wasn't enough in there to feed both of you, was there?" I asked, startled. He shook his head, chuckling softly.

"She got excited and threw some at me," he admitted. I stared at him.

"But… There was nothing in the kitchen," I protested. He blinked at me.

"I… Know. I cleaned it up. Aren't you supposed to do that with kids?" he asked, confused. I shook my head to myself.

"No… Never mind," I murmured, letting out a breath. "Thank you for looking after her," I added. "I shouldn't have left like that," I mumbled apologetically. He shook his head.

"No, it was fine. You're allowed to see your friends," he assured me. I smiled at him.

"Will you always be this compliant?" I wondered. He laughed quietly.

"Will you always be this forgiving?" he replied meaningfully, tentatively wrapping his arms around me. I pushed them off and he looked down, his expression saying, 'Another loss, I'll try again later.'

"No, no, I'm just gross!" I explained quickly, laughing a little. "Let me change and then we…" our eyes met and I swallowed. "I'm sorry." I said. He shook his head.

"Don't be. I'm lucky to still have you," he murmured, holding onto the stair railing tightly. After a pause, I retreated into my room and quickly closed the door, stripping off my dress. I tied my hair up and pinned my bangs back, removing the pearl strand that was sticking to my neck, as well as the bracelets and rings. I peeled off my bra and panties, wiping the sweat from my body with a towel, and slid on a sports bra and a pair of plain undies. After that I put on my deodorant for good measure and slid on a pair of sweatpants and one of Sam's old tee shirts. It left an inch of skin between it and the hem of my pants, but I was too lazy to change, so I made sure Claire was asleep and left the room again. We didn't look at each other or say anything, but he took my hand, and we wandered downstairs.

Finding ourselves in the living room, Jack sat down on the couch and looked up at me. I smiled.

"I wish I was Claire's size," I murmured. "So I could just curl up on your chest," I teased. He blushed and settled himself so that his back was on the arm of the couch and he was sitting up. Then he pulled me onto his lap, and I promptly curled into his warmth, tucking my face into his neck. Our eyes drifted open and closed, but something between us warned that one of us would say something. It ended up being me.

"Jack," I said.

"Yeah?" he replied quietly, rubbing my side, his hand gliding slowly from just below my ribs to my knee and back again.

"What do you think of… Well, sex." I said, wincing as the words spilled from my mouth. He stopped petting me and I bit my lip, curling my fingers into his shirt.

"Wow. I didn't see that coming, to be honest," he admitted, running a hand through his shaggy copper hair. I nodded.

"I know," I whispered apologetically.

"Um, like… pre-marital sex or… sex in general?" he questioned. I kept shifting until he started his hand again. It was calming.

"Sex with… Someone who's not exactly old enough to have sex." I mumbled. I could have just said, 'Do you intend to have sex with me any time soon?', and the message would have been the same. I squirmed until he finally replied.

"I um… Well if there were someone who I liked enough to have sex with, I would wait until she was ready, because even though she may not be eighteen, she's still mature enough to make the decision on her own," he finally decided. I was proud of his answer. It was a good answer, and a thoughtful one, and it meant 'Let me know when you're ready, whenever it might be.'

"I think that's a good answer," I told him.

"I'd like to say it was a good question, but wow," he said, making me giggle. "Did someone bring it up?" he wanted to know. I shrugged.

"Willow might have said something."

**Sorry if the song doesn't so closely match the chapter as the previous have done ._. It was either this or Let's Talk About Sex by Salt n' Peppa and I don't know if I would have kept my dignity in using that.**


	7. Good Times Gonna Come

**Well, as you can see, sophomore year was a bit of a bitch. I'm done now though, and I'll try to get as much done as I can before junior year starts again. Sorry about this guys.**

'Round the bend,

The sun is in the sky

It's starting to look like

It's gonna be, yeah, it's gonna be

A bright, beautiful day

Yeah, the good times gonna come.

**Good Times Gonna Come ; Aqualung**

Wailing roused me early the next morning. I found myself curled up on one of our easy chairs, Jack still asleep on the couch. I rubbed my eyes. _Guess I moved in the night,_ I thought absently, un-sticking my mouth. I didn't remember moving from Jack to the chair.

In that slow way that things hit you during the morning, I realized I had basically slept with Jack. I had certainly fallen asleep in the fetal position with my cheek on his chest. I shuddered. Then I realized why I had woken up.

"Shit!" I hissed, shooting to my feet, wobbling, and stumbling. I caught myself on Jack's chest. He let out an 'oof' and his eyes shot open.

"Good morning?" he slurred.

"Sorry," I whispered, trying to straighten and run to my sister. Jack had other plans, it seemed, catching my chin in his hand and kissing me stupid in barely thirty seconds. When I finally remembered to pull away, I stared at him, dumbfounded. He grinned.

"Good morning," he decided. I shook my head, mind spinning from the wake up and from Jack.

"Claire," was all I said, hurrying out of the living room and taking the stairs two at a time. I skidded into my room, where my poor baby sister was sobbing in her crib.

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm so sorry," I cooed, quickly scooping the girl from her crib and holding her tightly to me. I bounced her gently as she cried into my shirt. "Honey, I didn't mean to fall asleep downstairs, I'm so sorry," I repeated as her sniffles slowed.

"Potty," she demanded. I nodded.

"Of course," I murmured, taking her from the room.

Thirty minutes later, Claire was playing with her scrambled eggs while Jack cleaned off my plate and his. I wrapped my arms around him from behind, my forehead just cresting his shoulder. He eyed me over his shoulder.

"Randy?" he drawled. I gave him a good-natured glare.

"Needy." I corrected. He smiled, grabbing a towel and turning in my hold. We glanced at Claire, her back to us as she ate.

"Not complaining," he remarked, drying his hands behind me as we met eyes again. I smiled at him. He kissed me, holding me against him, his arm curling around my ass. It was a half-grope, with his hand on my hip, but he was still touching my ass. _Boys_, I thought, amused, smiling against his lips. I curled my hand around the back of his neck. _I could probably get used to this_, I realized. Making out was fun. We pulled apart, both trying to hide how fast we were breathing.

"As long as we're not _that_ PDA couple," I said to him with a smile, tangling my hand in his hair. He grinned.

"Trust me, I want to be them as a little as you do," he agreed. I laughed and pulled away from him.

"And we'll have paparazzi on our case," I reminded him. He nodded soberly, then grinned.

"Not to mention all your drooling fanboys," he teased. I glared at him.

"And yours," I retorted. He laughed.

"I would I hope I would have girls after me," he mused, scratching his chin. He needed to shave. I rolled my eyes.

"You know what I mean," I said, irritated. He laughed. "Go shave." He saluted me and left the room with a kiss on the cheek.

"Come on, kiddo," I said to Claire, scooping her into my arms. I washed her face and hands (leaving the mess of eggs for Jack) and walked up the stairs. I knocked on the bathroom door.

"Yeah?" Jack called. I pushed the door open, and both Claire and I laughed at the sight of him, covered in shaving cream. He glared at us, but it didn't really serve his purpose.

"I'm gonna shower and give Claire a bath. Will you clean up after breakfast?" I asked him. He nodded.

"Are we going somewhere?" he wanted to know. I nodded.

"Up to Cerulean," I answered. I didn't even understand how I could see him pale under the white foam. I swallowed. "Well, up to route five, really," I mumbled. "The daycare center. I should be able to pick up Saffron by now," I explained. He nodded.

"Sounds great." He managed. I quickly closed the door and he turned back to the mirror. When I was in my parents' bathroom running the bath, I looked at Claire.

"We're a wreck, aren't we?" I asked the infant unhappily. She gave me a look of pure innocence and unknowing and- to my delight- love.

"Baff," she told me instead. I smiled as I unzipped her footsie pajamas.

"Baff indeed," I agreed, not feeling silly in the slightest. It was a huge relief, to be quite frank.

-----

As we stepped out of the house an hour later, Jack glanced at his watch.

"So walking we should at least get to Saffron by three, and the daycare center by three-thirty or four," he mused to himself.

"So we'll be home by seven or eight?" I asked him.

"Not if we stop for dinner," he replied. I nodded.

"We can grab something from Saffron and eat it later," I told him. He smiled wryly.

"I can't treat you to a nice dinner?" he wanted to know. I flushed.

"Er," I said, looking down. That was flattering. But I didn't want to be walking home at night with Claire. Jack laughed.

"I'm kidding. Later," he said, putting a warm hand on my back.

He was freshly shaven and Claire and I were freshly bathed. Jack wore a black tee shirt and khakis with his running shoes, and I wore a pale green tunic over jean shorts and sneakers. Claire was in overalls, a pink tee and her adorable baby shoes, the sight of which had nearly kicked my mothering instinct into overdrive. Both Jack and I had our bags slung over our shoulders, more out of habit than necessity I'm sure.

"Who did you bring when you came up from Cinnabar?" I asked Jack curiously, shifting Claire to my hip and looking up at him. We turned onto the next street.

"Uh," he said, thinking, scratching his chin. "Lunus, Rex, Basher, Storm, Sky and Blade," he told me after a moment. I lifted a brow.

"I've got three of six," I told him. He chuckled.

"Basher's my hitmonlee, Rex is a nidoking-"

"Go figure," I murmured, making him elbow me in the side. I smiled.

"And Blade's a sandslash." I nodded. "You?" My parents had a PC box in their home. I wasn't sure how much they'd paid for it, but I didn't want to know either.

"Flick, Caela, Auri, Boulder, and Celum," I told him. It had been the last constant team I'd carried before leaving Hoenn, minus Spark, because I needed the room to pick up Saffron.

"Three of five," Jack answered. I smiled.

"Caela's a swellow and Celum's a linoone." I told him. Jack whistled.

"How many fancy Hoenn types you got?" he wanted to know, deliberately being inarticulate.

"Oodles," I replied dryly, making him grin. "Bundles. Scores, if you will," I went on. He laughed. Jack's hand slid to the small of my back, curving slightly so we were walking closer together. Which really wasn't a problem with me, I'll be honest. I felt my left arm, the one under Claire, begin to go numb, so I switched her around to my right side. For some reason, the little girl seemed intent on our conversation, sucking on her thumb as she watched things go by over my shoulder. Finally, we were nearing the entrance to Route 6, the small gatehouse that guarded every route in Kanto (and Hoenn, for that matter.) Jack and I stopped to let an elderly couple pass from the gatehouse, and the older woman gave us a glance and a knowing smile that made me swallow hard.

"What do we look like?" I asked Jack as he opened the gatehouse door for me.

"Eh?" he said, confused, brow furrowed. I gestured at my body, then at his.

"Us." He looked out the still-0pen door to the retreating backs of the couple, then glanced back at me.

"Oh." He let the door close and the both of us were silent as we walked across the worn but pleasant crimson carpet to the exit. When we stepped out into Route 6, nothing much was difference, but in front of us was an expanse of pleasant, meadow-like route. We could see Saffron's skyscrapers on the skyline, and Mt. Moon to the northwest.

"Guess girls are having kids younger these days," Jack said in an attempt to be funny. I stared up at him to make a point. He sighed and looked at the ground. "So that's a no?" he asked after a moment.

"Sorry hon," I answered apologetically. He shrugged and took Claire from me, swinging her onto his shoulders. She giggled and clutched his scruffy hair like reins. I squeezed his hand and he squeezed mine back as we walked straight ahead.

"So what was the Grand Festival like?" he wanted to know. I wound my fingers into his.

"Horribly nerve-wracking," I admitted, making him smile.

"Even for a master coordinator like yourself?" he asked. I smiled dryly up at him.

"I wasn't a master until _after_ I left the hall," I corrected. He chuckled. "I'm sure it was just like walking into Indigo Stadium and knowing it's now or never," I remarked. He shrugged and Claire laughed, so he shrugged again. I smiled.

"I suppose." He answered thoughtfully. I waited for his explanation, and he didn't say anything until he noticed me staring at him. I grinned as he looked embarrassed. "The Indigo League was a weird kind of limbo for me, I guess," he began, staring towards Saffron again. "Like, I'd been working for six years and I had five days to know if it would all be for crap or not," he explained. I nodded.

"A rather abrupt end," I remarked. He nodded.

"Exactly. That was when-" he paused and swallowed, then forged ahead. "I started seeing Misty," he said bravely. My stomach churned slightly, but I didn't say anything. I didn't want her to be a rock in the road. I didn't want us to be awkward whenever she was brought up. It was a thing of the past, and it didn't matter.

At least, that's what I told myself, and it was working, and that was all that mattered.

"And Emma was about to leave, so I was a bit worried," he went on. I nodded. "So I think my attitude was less along the lines of, "Oh god this is it," and more of, "Fuck it, let's just go," he admitted. I laughed.

"As good a frame of mind as any," I consoled him. He smiled.

"I'm glad you approve," he remarked.

A bolt of lightning struck down in the grass about fifty yards away, making me yelp and Jack jump.

"Cool!" Claire exclaimed. Jack and I exchanged looks and stared up at the sky. Clear blue and cloudless. We walked faster and Jack slipped Claire into his hold. She took hold of his shirt, catching onto our tension.

It was a Pokémon battle.

Jack and I shared a glance again as we watched the two trainers.

"Talk about nerves," I muttered. Jack shook his head.

"I don't know how we didn't see that coming," he agreed. I shrugged.

"Wanna go watch?" I queried. He shrugged.

"Haven't thought about battling since… Hell, since the tournament," he admitted, swinging Claire back onto his shoulders. It was amazing how at ease he was with the movement, and I admired the smooth shift.

"Same," I admitted, taking Jack's hand again.

"Wanna watch," Claire demanded. With our minds made up for us, he headed towards the trainers. A pikachu and a kanghaskan, led by a young girl and a middle-aged woman respectively. I kind of missed Spark, seeing the battle play out. He was a raichu now, and a ferocious battler. We stood about thirty feet away, unnoticed by the trainers.

"Pikachu, quick attack!" the girl shouted. The pikachu did as told but the kanghaskan was unphased.

"Focus punch," called the woman calmly. She was as sturdy as her Pokémon. Unfortunately for the girl, the pikachu was out in a second. Jack and I winced simultaneously.

"That was short lived," he remarked. I nodded.

"I wonder how long they were battling before we got here," I mused as the girl scooped up her pikachu in her arms. Jack shrugged.

"Come on. Let's keep going," he said. I nodded and let him pull me forward. A couple steps later, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Drat. Now I've got battle jitters," he grumbled. I snorted. A brilliant sentence.

"Do tell," I said, smiling wryly up at him. He glared at me.

"It's just that impatient and energetic feeling you get when you're about to battle or you want to battle," he explained. I stopped smiling, because it made a damn lot of sense.

"Huh." I murmured. "I'm sure we'll be able to find you a battle before we get to Saffron," I said to him. He smiled at me.

"It's fine. I don't want to hold us up," he assured me. I shrugged, smiling back at him.

"I want to see you battle," I assured him. "TV doesn't do you justice," I teased. He coughed and looked down, but I could tell he was pleased. He squeezed my hand and we headed on.

-----

Jack's opportunity came around when the gatehouse to Saffron was only about a hundred yards away. A male trainer was breaking from the woods to the left of the route, running with his nidoqueen and his blastoise. It wasn't long until a primeape burst from the trees as well. Jack smiled grimly.

"Here we are," he said, more to himself than me. I smiled dryly as he dropped Claire into my arms. He trotted over to the trainer, who seemed to be about Jack's age, though I couldn't be sure. I settled Claire in my arms and we followed him at a slower rate. By the time we reached Jack, they were already determining the battle. We waited for a moment until the trainer turned to smile politely at me, black haired and hazel eyed.

"Hi there," he said, holding out a hand.

"Ari, this is Kent James." Jack said. I shook his hand warmly. "Kent, this is my friend, Ari Nightingale, and her sister, Claire," he introduced us.

"A pleasure," I said, but Kent was in the midst of pulling a coin from behind Claire's ears.

"Did you forget to take a bath?" he accused as she giggled in surprise. I laughed with her and he blushed slightly.

"Sorry, couldn't help myself," he admitted. Jack chuckled as well.

"No worries. Shall we get started?" he asked, barely hiding his excitement. Kent nodded.

"Surely." He answered.

"You're mediating, by the way," Jack told me. I rolled my eyes.

"Thanks for telling me," I murmured as he and Kent split their different ways. He blushed.

"You've done it befo-"

"Kidding," I reminded him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "How's this going down?" I asked.

"Two on two, first to double KO, three tops." he answered. I nodded. It meant that the knockouts had to be consecutive, but a trainer was only allowed to substitute one Pokémon after the knock out of another. However, each trainer was only allowed to use three Pokémon. "Good luck," I said to him, leaning up on my toes and kissing him. When I pulled back, he stared at me for a second and kissed me again, but I shoved him off.

"What?" I asked, unable to help smiling. He grinned.

"It seemed appropriate," he answered. I rolled my eyes and held up my sister.

"In front of a toddler?" I retorted. He took me off guard by kissing me again, too briefly for me to pull away. Then he saluted me and took off for his end of the makeshift field. Claire and I shared a glance. "Avoid boys," I recommended. She looked up at me seriously and proceeded to suck on her fingers. "That's my girl," I muttered to myself, glancing down at Kent and finding the middle of the field. When I had positioned myself to see where the battle would happen, I checked on the battlers. Kent was giving a quick pep talk to his primeape and his nidoqueen. Jack was juggling two Pokéballs in one hand, looking impatient. "Heads up, kiddo," I told Claire, putting her on the ground. She latched her dry hand around my leg.

"The battle between Kent James and Jack Marcum will now begin. It will be a two-on-two battle, and the first battler to two consecutive knockouts will be the winner. A maximum of three Pokémon will be used. Begin!" I shouted.

"Primeape! Nidoqueen!" Kent shouted. The two Pokémon loped and ran, respectively, onto the field.

"Rex! Storm!" Jack called, releasing his nidoking and his arcanine onto the field. I raised my brows. It was an interesting match up.

"Nidoqueen! Poison sting! Primeape, follow up with cross chop!" Jack's nidoking ran head long into the primeape's attack and I winced, but Storm easily dodged the Nidoqueen's spikes.

"Flamethrower! Rex, fury attack!" Jack demanded. Nidoking's decision seemed to be for the better as he jabbed his long horn repeatedly into the primeape's body. Storm, meanwhile, was blasting away at the nidoqueen, who skipped and leaped but couldn't avoid the flame.

"Helping hand and screech!" Kent ordered. I immediately covered Claire's ears as primeape let out a resounding, horrifying call, something like metal and brick grinding together. Jack and Kent were unaffected, but Claire and I were merely on the periphery of the battle. My ears popped and my nose started to run, and Claire scrunched up her face and began to cry. Storm and Rex didn't look much better off, though nidoqueen was doing a strange claw-clap pattern, directing a glow towards her companion. But as abruptly as it had come, the screech ended. "Rage!" I scooped Claire up and dug in my bag until I found a tissue, hurriedly mopping her face with it.

"Sorry kiddo," I whispered to her as she hiccupped quietly. "That's the screech attack. It weakens an enemy Pokémon's defense," I told her. She looked up at me and nodded, suddenly interested again. I smiled. "Can I put you down to watch again?" I asked her. She looked over her shoulder at the battle, then nodded emphatically. I threw the tissue back into the bag and grabbed another, wiping my own face. _Jesus,_ I thought. _Did I luck out or what?_ Claire was a ridiculously easy child. If she'd been some tantrum throwing brat I'd probably have tied her up and left her at home while Jack and I went to fetch Saffron. _I guess Mum really does know what she's doing_, I thought mildly. Come to think of it, in the home videos I'd seen, I was always pretty well behaved. And so was Sam, which was more than he could say now. I made a face. Well, three years ago.

"Ari!" Claire exclaimed, tugging on my leg. I looked down at her, but she was pointing at the battlefield. Rex was out for the count. I winced.

"Nidoking is unable to battle! One knock out for Kent!" I announced. I grinned down at Claire, tussling her hair. "Thanks," I told her. She beamed at me and I shook my head to myself. These maternal feelings were just _so_ unnecessary. For Christ's sake, I was seventeen. I had loads of time to pop out some kids. It wasn't like my biological clock was a ticking time bomb.

"Ari!" Claire demanded, pounding her tiny fists against my calf. I blinked up at the battlefield.

"Oh for- nidoqueen is unable to battle! One knock out for Jack!" I picked Claire up. "You should have my job," I told her. She nodded emphatically and I surveyed the battle. I was sure even Claire could predict the outcome. It was Lunus and Storm against blastoise and primeape, but that primeape would be out in a second, no matter what the blastoise did.

"Lunus! Pursuit!"

Kent tried to counter with hydro pump, but Storm took the hit, and Lunus took primeape out before Storm could fall to the ground.

"Primeape is unable to battle! Jack is the winner!" I shouted. Claire clapped loudly and practically leapt from my hold. Lunus, making his way towards Jack, spotted her and paused. I couldn't help but grin as he turned mid stride and galloped towards my baby sister. Jack glared at me from where he was bent over storm and I just laughed. The Pokémon were recalled and the four of us met in the middle of the field. I scooped Claire into my hold.

"Good match, really good," Jack said enthusiastically. But Kent was staring at me, head cocked. I froze, eyes flicking to Jack.

"I didn't catch your last name before. Are you Arabel Nightingale?" he wanted to know. I blushed.

"I might be," I replied, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Modesty becomes you," he replied dryly, pulling a paper crane out of his pocket for Claire, who beamed at him. "Sorry," he added bashfully, making me smile. "My sister followed your career avidly," he explained. Jack slid his arm around me and I briefly glanced up at him.

"I hope I didn't disappoint," I said to Kent, smiling wryly. He laughed.

"Not in the slightest. In fact, she'll kill me when she finds out I haven't asked for your autograph, but you don't seem like the kind to appreciate that," he explained. I turned red again and Jack grinned.

"Not exactly," he answered for me, rubbing my back. Kent looked at us for a moment, then shook his head.

"I can't believe I'm standing in front of Kanto's greatest right now. This is incredibly intimidating." Jack and I exchanged a look.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked. He gestured to us.

"You're a power couple. _The_ power couple. The champion of the Indigo League, the most prestigious competition in Kanto, and the Master of the Grand Festival, the most important Pokémon contest in the world." He shook his head. "You guys are going to get a lot worse than me and my sister," he warned us. I swallowed, but Jack just shook his head.

"I suppose it comes with the territory," he remarked. Kent smiled wryly.

"Well at least I lost to you," he answered, holding out a hand. Jack shook it firmly.

"Have a good day. And you should really work on your cleaning skills," he told Claire, taking the crane from her in one hand and pulling it from her pocket with the other. She burst into giggles. The trainer saluted us and headed off down the road. Jack and I looked at each other.

"A little eccentric," he said.

"That was a really unfortunate reality check," I answered. He quirked a one-sided smile.

"Come on, Queen of Kanto. Let's go get your eevee." I glared at him but he just turned us about and we walked on towards the Saffron gatehouse.

-----

"I've never been in here before," Jack remarked as he held open the door to the Kanto Day Care center. I walked in and let him follow behind me.

"It's lovely. They take great care of your Pokémon." I answered as we walked up to the desk. It was unmanned at the moment, so I turned to look at Jack. Claire was asleep on his shoulder, his shirt bunched in her fingers. He made a face.

"I don't think I could ever leave my Pokémon somewhere," he said. I shrugged.

"I've never used them to raise my Pokémon. I prefer to do that myself. But it's the easiest way to produce an egg." I answered. He didn't look convinced, but at that moment, the back door opened to reveal an older gentleman and a tiny old man who could be my great grandfather.

"-didn't learn any new moves, of course, but as far as we can tell he leveled up to fifty seven," the grandfather type was saying. I raised an eyebrow and smiled as the two men noticed us.

"Miss Nightingale! What a coincidence!" the man teased. I smiled dryly.

"Mr. O'Hara, a pleasure. I see all's well?" I answered politely, nodding to the striped egg in his arms. It was an egg color and pattern I knew all too well.

"Very. I think Mr. Yamagato has yours as well," he replied, nodding his companion, who was cleaning his glasses. Then he looked at me and started.

"Oh Miss Nightingale! How nice to see you again!" he squeaked. "We have your eevee and your egg is in an incubator," he told me. "Marie!" he called. His miniscule wife, as old as he and nearly as short, appeared from a set of steps.

"Oh my! Come along dear," she said, taking my hand and dragging me outside.

"Saffron!" I called, looking around the enormous, spacious backyard. It occurred to me that it looked a lot like Jack's yard. The long, brown ears poked up from a patch of grass, followed by an excited mew. "C'mere baby!" I called. I missed her. A lot. She was what I had had left of Jack when I was in Hoenn. The eevee sprang out of the grass and bolted towards me and into my arms. I laughed and hugged her hard, but Mrs. Yamagato tugged on my elbow and dragged me back into the cottage.

"She is a lovely Pokémon. Leveled three times. Two eggs, one for you, one for Mr. O'Hara," she said, nodding. The Yamagatos were an eccentric couple, but they knew what they were doing. Mr. Yamagato handed me Saffron's Pokéball as I was led to the counter and I regrettably stowed her away as an egg was thrust into my hold.

"Three hundred fifty dollars," Mrs. Yamagato announced and I fished out my credit card, handing it to her as Mr. Yamagato finished Mr. O'Hara's transaction.

"What are you planning to do with your eevee, if you don't mind me asking?" I asked Mr. O'Hara. He was a friend of Lange's, but considerably nicer. We'd been introduced just before the Grand Festival, and Lange had orchestrated the deal. For some reason, he stared at Jack, then looked back at me.

"I've decided to raise myself an umbreon," he answered. "And yourself?"

"A glaceon or a leafeon, whichever is more convenient," I said with a smile. He smiled back and I held out my hand. Instead of shaking it, he kissed it.

"A pleasure doing business, Miss Nightingale. Will I see you in the future?" he wanted to know. I smiled wryly.

"Most likely not. I intend to fade off into civilization," I replied. He chuckled.

"Well good luck with your eevee," he said. With that, he turned on his heel and left the cottage. Jack stared after him through narrowed eyes, but Mr. Yamagato was thrusting my credit card back at me.

"Thank you! See you soon! Good luck!" he exclaimed. I smiled.

"Thank you both so much. Have a good evening." I took Jack's hand and he led me out of the building, his grip strangely tight.

"What's your deal?" I hissed at him when we were outside. He was watching a car disappear into the distance. "Jack!"

He looked at me. "I fought him. In the quarter finals." He said tersely. "It wasn't pretty."

It all made sense. I sighed. _Men._

"Jack," I murmured.

"And he's getting an umbreon now because _mine_ kicked his ass," he said, looking affronted.

"Jack," I said again, rubbing my hand soothingly over his arm. He looked at me and I leaned up on my toes, kissing him briefly. "Relax," I ordered. He made a face but didn't say anything. I linked my hand in his again and he resettled Claire in his arm. She fit neatly into the crook of his elbow, her cheek tucked against his neck. "Lets just go back to mine, kay? I'll make you a nice dinner and then we can just relax. We're leaving in two days and you can finally get back into the swing of things." I reminded him. He took a breath and squeezed my hand.

"Yeah. You're right." He leaned over to plant a kiss on my crown. "Thanks for being the sensible one," he said. I smiled.

"One of us had to be."

**I don't know if this chapter's any good, but I hope you liked it.**

**-Pepper**


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